Ministry of Defence

Global Combat Air Programme: Location

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his oral contribution on 18 December 2023 on the Global Combat Air Programme Treaty, Official Report column 1138, if he will list the 20-plus locations he is considering for the new HQ.

James Cartlidge: Due to commercial sensitivities, unfortunately the locations being considered for the GIGO Headquarters cannot be released at this stage. The trilateral partners have agreed at Ministerial level that the headquarters of the GIGO and corresponding joint business construct will be located in the UK. A process is underway that will progressively narrow down the options to a short list from which recommendations will be made. Further details on locations and timelines will be announced in due course.

Ministry of Defence: ICT

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) laptops and PCs, (b) mobile phones and (c) other technological devices issued by his Department were reported (i) lost, (ii) stolen and (iii) damaged in each year since 2019.

James Cartlidge: The following table includes the number of lost or stolen devices in the Ministry of Defence in the last five years. YearLaptopsMobile PhonesUSBsHard Disk Drives2019239106602520201637349242021 148798527202228111251402023 (up to 18 Dec)176922067 All Departmental IT is fully security encrypted.The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.Any mobile device reported as lost is immediately and remotely deactivated, and the contents are deleted. The user account on any laptop reported as lost is immediately and remotely locked. It should be noted that these figures only account for lost and stolen devices as damaged devices aren’t classed as a security issue. We do not differentiate between lost and stolen devices and treat both the same for security reasons. Individual departments hold information on the number of devices damaged and therefore this is not information that we hold centrally and to gather it would be at a disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: ICT

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) laptops and PCs, (b) mobile phones and (c) other technological devices were issued by his Department in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) laptops and PCs, (b) mobile phones and (c) other technological devices issued by his Department were deemed unrepairable in each year since 2019.

James Cartlidge: I am providing figures for the MODNET Official network, which is the MOD's corporate ICT system serving the largest number of users, some 206,000 based in the UK and Overseas. In 2020 MODNET Official moved from a predominantly desktop PC estate to a mainly laptop-based estate. While the primary access to MODNET is via laptops and fixed devices, alternative solutions are provided through iPads and iPhones. These are procured by internal organisational areas based on their individual requirement. MODNET Official PCs and Laptops, iPhones and iPads issued by Year.  Desktop PCLaptopsiPhonesiPadsTotal2019002,1184952,613202010521,5038,0813,13132,82020218,748115,4963,140560127,94420227,59425,1177,1981,28641,19520232,65013,6962,2211,36519,932 MODNET laptop devices are delivered through a managed service which includes a repair service. Devices which are deemed Beyond Economic Repair (BER - those which are broken and faulty, and not economically fit to be repaired) are cannibalised for parts and/or sent for either destruction or, where possible, recycling. BER data was not captured in 2019 and 2020 while the new laptop deployment was underway and Defence was largely a Desktop based organisation. MODNET iPhones and iPads are disposed of via an approved disposal route at the end of their serviceable life. MODNET Official Laptops declared BER.20192020202120222023001,118433,428

Ministry of Defence: Bullying and Harassment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 3 of the guidance entitled JSP 763: Behaviours and Informal Complaint Resolution: Part 1: Directive - Understanding Behaviours in Defence, published in June 2021, on how many occasions leaders in his Department have investigated incidents of unacceptable behaviours that have been brought to their attention since June 2021.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 3 of his Department's publication entitled JSP 763 Behaviours and informal complaint resolution, Part 1, how many investigations into incidents of unacceptable behaviour leaders in his Department have conducted in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Internet

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many investigations into the online behaviour of people employed in his Department have been conducted by his Department in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people employed by Department have been disciplined for matters relating to their online behaviour in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on recruitment systems for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The IT systems underpinning Defence recruitment are being renewed. The Recruiting IT System (RITS), a joint venture between the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, superseded the Defence Recruiting System (DRS) in 2022. The DRS remains in use by the Army. Costs, where available, are provided in the tables below. It has not been possible to provide comprehensive data for the period requested due to the disproportionate costs of retrieving some of the older information, and cost data for the current financial year (FY) may include forecasts, rather than actual spend. Royal Navy: FY2017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23DRS1.001.001.001.001.00-RITS---0.833.062.35Total (millions)1.001.001.001.834.062.35 Army: These figures represent high-level DRS costs only, as it has not been possible to analyse those arising from every minor system or policy change. FY2013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-24Total (millions)19.38341.31611.0156.064.2222.0152.5413.9117.7733.6735.02 Royal Air Force: We are unable to provide historical costs associated with DRS. RITS is expected to cost £42 million for FY 2021-22 to FY 2027-28 inclusive (split 50/50 with the Royal Navy) and expenditure is expected to be £14.5 million by the end of FY 2023-24.

Defence Business Services: Bullying and Harassment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civilian employees contacted Defence Business Services casework services to report (a) bullying, (b) harassment and (c) discrimination in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what were the (a) recruitment targets and (b) actual numbers of people recruited to the Army in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The first table below shows the Basic Training Starts (BTS) Targets for British Army Other Ranks by financial year. There are no targets for Officers. Financial YearBTS Target2010-118,3502011-1210,5302012-139,8302013-149,3802014-159,3702015-169,5502016-1710,2002017-189,7702018-199,9902019-209,4002020-21*9,8702021-226,6702022-238,220 *2020-21 Target was 9,870 before being supressed in-year to 8,270 because of IR measures. The second table below shows the BTS Actuals for British Army Officers and Other Ranks by financial year. Financial YearTotal BTS ActualsOfficer BTS ActualsOther Ranks BTS Actuals2010-118,5207407,7802011-1210,89069010,2002012-1310,0606209,4402013-146,8105606,2502014-157,8505007,3502015-168,1005507,5502016-177,6206406,9802017-186,6006205,9902018-196,5006405,8602019-209,5806308,9602020-21*9,3306508,6802021-227,2306506,5802022-236,0805205,560 Please note the following notes/caveats: The figures are for the Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from GURTAM to UKTAP. Basic Training Start figures prior to and including 2016/17 include all personnel entering both Phase 1 and Phase 2 training. Following a change in definition of trained strength from 1 October 2016, all Basic Training Starts figures from 2017/18 onwards only include personnel who entered Phase 1 training. Figures from 2017/18 onwards are therefore not directly comparable with previous Financial Years. Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts.

Army: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for the future delivery of the Army recruitment service, in the context of Capita's contract expiration in March 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: In June 2023 the Army signed a further two-year Recruiting Partnering Project (RPP) contract extension with Capita out to March 2026, with the inclusion of an option to further extend the contract for a third year, if required. In September 2023 the Army commenced discussions with Capita to enact the option of a third year contract extension to bridge the gap to the commencement of the Armed Forces Recruitment Service in 2027.

Ministry of Defence: Resignations

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of service of staff who left employment with his Department was at each job grade in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The average length of service based on any of the core workforce who left the Department between 1 January 2019 and 18 December 2023, and calculated by the time between their termination date, and the date of their continual service in the MOD is detailed below: Grade Grouping20192020202120222023Avg (Grade)Senior Civil Service18.713.114.110.311.412.9Grade 621.118.420.317.712.317.1Grade 717.918.817.615.512.715.9Senior Executive Officer17.115.612.813.713.814.3Higher Executive Officer13.912.714.013.212.013.1Executive Officer13.213.113.111.612.612.6Administrative Officer13.511.313.312.814.113.0Administrative Assistant11.613.310.58.610.410.6Skillzone 120.122.117.220.120.820.0Skillzone 213.513.713.512.813.513.4Skillzone 317.421.415.416.516.616.9Skillzone 420.118.317.318.619.718.8Senior Leadership Group (DE&S)26.115.521.026.312.320.8Senior Professional (DE&S)20.521.721.319.920.020.4Professional II (DE&S)14.412.313.310.712.812.6Professional I (DE&S)18.619.916.314.116.216.5Sen Administrator/Specialist (DE&S)10.39.410.48.99.49.6Administrator/Specialist (DE&S)9.68.811.09.710.19.9Average (Year)13.913.213.312.312.813.0 Before the introduction of the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) in 2003, there were limited records for periods of service, including breaks in service, so the calculations are based on the most recent hire, or rehire date recorded in either HRMS or its replacement MyHR introduced in 2002. Figures are broken down by year and grade grouping. The figures are fractionalised, so for example, someone with three years and six months service, would be calculated as 3.5 years’ service. The figures do not include anyone who left between 2019 and today, who have since been rehired. This is because their most recent hire or rehire date will reflect their current employment. These figures include civil service equivalent and Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) grades. Personnel on grading structures outside civil service equivalent and DE&S grades have been excluded.

Ukraine: Military Aid

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ukrainian pilots have been trained by the UK through the jet training programme since its inception.

James Heappey: The UK has provided training for 16 Ukrainian pilots, with additional Ukrainian pilots expected to arrive in early 2024. The training has been a mixture of English language training and basic flying training, depending on the Ukrainian pilots' needs. This training, as part of the UK's contribution to the Ukraine Air Force Capability Coalition, has enabled 6 Ukrainian pilots to start flying F-16 jets in Denmark.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of armed forces recruitment since 2020.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Armed Forces continue to meet all their current commitments, keeping the country and its interests safe. The Government remain committed to ensuring that this country has the world class Armed Forces that it needs and deserves. Defence is firmly focused on responding to the current recruitment challenges faced across the western world, with a range of measures now, anticipating the successor Armed Forces Recruitment Programme.

Ministry of Defence: ICT

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on supporting legacy IT systems in each financial year since 2019-20.

James Cartlidge: I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 4 December 2023 to Question 3661, on Ministry of Defence spending on legacy IT.Ministry of Defence: ICT (docx, 25.1KB)

Ukraine: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many uncrewed aerial systems the UK supplied to Ukraine in (a) December 2022 to May 2023 and (b) June to November 2023.

James Heappey: The UK has delivered thousands of uncrewed aerial systems to Ukraine, including logistics, loitering munitions, long-range attack and reconnaissance types. Uncrewed aerial systems have been supplied regularly since April 2022, with more planned over the coming months. For security reasons, we will not confirm the types, exact number or delivery schedules of uncrewed aerial systems supplied. In addition to our national efforts, the UK-administered International Fund for Ukraine has delivered over 100 uncrewed aerial systems between June and November 2023.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy applications have been re-approved following an initial rejection since April 2021.

James Heappey: In line with published policy, every applicant to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme is entitled to request one review of the eligibility decision on their application. Of more than 95,000 unique applications, approximately 11,380 have exercised that right. The 11,380 figure includes reviews that could not be considered for a variety of reasons, including duplicate review requests, reviews being requested prior to an initial eligibility decision, reviews submitted outside of the permitted 90-day time window, or reviews requested where no ARAP application has been submitted. In terms of the 5,349 reviews which could be considered, a total of 21 decisions have been overturned, with 3,707 decisions being upheld. There are currently 2,303 accepted reviews awaiting a decision. More detail on our reviews policy is published on gov.uk and communicated to applicants in their eligibility decision letters.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 December 2023 HCWS118 on ICO Investigation Update, when he expects the Financial Compensation Scheme for Afghans affected by the data breach in September 2021 to be established.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 December 2023, HCWS118, on ICO Investigation Update, how much funding has been allocated for Afghans affected by the data breach in September 2021 under the Financial Compensation Scheme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 December 2023, HCWS118, on ICO Investigation Update, what estimate his Department has made of the potential value of compensation available to Afghans affected by the data breach in 2021 through the Financial Compensation Scheme.

James Heappey: Work is well underway on designing the Financial Compensation Scheme referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement laid in the House on 13 December 2023. Further details will be shared as soon as is reasonably practicable. The Ministry of Defence will establish the scheme to enable all directly affected individuals to receive compensation in respect of any damage that may have been caused.

Air Force: Crew

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF pilots were (a) recruited and (b) fully trained in each year since 2019.

James Heappey: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

Department for Education

Vocational Education: Costs

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse was of her Department's It all starts with skills campaign.

Robert Halfon: The department's high-quality skills system, co-designed with employers, supports people into well-paid jobs and provides businesses with the skilled workforce they need for our economy to thrive. Marketing campaigns continue to play an important role in promoting government skills and technical education offers including apprenticeships, T Levels, Skills Bootcamps, Multiply, Free Courses for Jobs and Higher Technical Qualifications - as well as support and advice from the National Careers Service - to young people, adults and employers.In the 2023/24 financial year, the department will spend a total of £12,085,527 on Skills for Life campaigns funded from existing skills policy budgets. It All Starts with Skills replaces and builds on three campaigns targeting adults (Unlock Your Potential), employers (Join The Skills Revolution) and young people (Get The Jump).

Local Skills Improvement Plans: Finance

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department provided to (a) combined authorities, (b) local authorities, (c) Local Enterprise Partnerships and (d) employer representative bodies to support the development of local skills improvement plans in the latest period for which data is available.

Robert Halfon: The development, review and implementation of Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are led by designated employer representative bodies (ERBs) who work closely with employers and a range of local stakeholders, including the Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) / the Greater London Authority (GLA) and local authorities. The department is funding the designated ERBs up to £550,000 for each LSIP for the period between September 2022 and March 2025. The only exception is Greater London, where double the amount of funding, £1.1million, is available to reflect the overall size of the area.More information about LSIP grant funding for employer representative bodies is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/654b7980e70413000ffc49fb/Local_skills_improvement_plans_-_stage_2.pdf.In addition, in the 2022/23 financial year, the MCAs / GLA and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) received up to £55,000 to support the development of the LSIPs by providing analytical support to the designated ERBs. This was a transitional arrangement put in place while funding for the Skills Advisory Panels (SAPs) programme was being phased out.Delivering the priorities set out in LSIPs will require collective action from a range of local partners, including local and regional government. The LSIP stage 2 guidance makes it clear that the designated ERBs should engage constructively with MCAs/the GLA, local authorities and LEPs so that the employer intelligence set out in LSIPs can dock into local strategies and bear influence on other skills-related funding streams in ways that are mutually reinforcing.

Apprentices: Taxation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 3789 on Apprentices: Taxation, what the total expired unused Apprenticeship Levy funds were in each month since May 2019.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which (a) sectors and (b) employers were (i) most and (ii) least likely to utilise the funds provided through the apprenticeship levy in the latest period for which data is available.

Robert Halfon: The government introduced the apprenticeship levy to incentivise larger businesses to develop and invest in their own apprenticeship programmes whilst ensuring the availability of funding for smaller employers wanting to offer apprenticeships. Through the levy, the government is increasing investment in the apprenticeships system in England to £2.7 billion in the 2024/25 financial year to support employers of all sizes to boost the skills of their workforces. As the apprenticeship levy is UK-wide, income from the levy also supports the Devolved Administrations to invest in their skills programmes. Employers in England who pay the apprenticeship levy can access funds for apprenticeship training and assessment by registering for an apprenticeship service account. The funds in employers’ accounts reflect the ‘English percentage’ of an employer’s levy contribution and include a 10% top-up from the government. The department does not record industry, sector or organisation type when levy-paying employers register an apprenticeship service account. For this reason, data which shows which sectors were most or least likely to spend their funds cannot be provided. The department does hold information relating to individual employer accounts but it would not be appropriate to disclose this information without consulting with employers. Employers can use their levy funds for apprenticeships in their own business or transfer up to 25% of their funds to other businesses. Funds that levy payers do not draw on are used to fund apprenticeships in small and medium sized businesses who do not pay the levy. Levy payers are not expected to use all funds available to them, though they are able to do so. The funds in apprenticeship service accounts are available for levy-paying employers to draw on for 24 months before they expire on a rolling, month-by-month basis. The table attached shows the total funds that expired from levy-paying employers apprenticeship service accounts in each month since May 2019. The decline in levy expiry value for October 2021 was due to a delay transferring levy into employer accounts. As a result, employers were granted an additional month to spend those funds, to ensure that the 24-month window to spend funds was maintained. The funds available to levy-paying employers through their apprenticeship service accounts are not the same as the apprenticeships budget which funds apprenticeships in England for employers of all sizes. As such, expired funds from employers’ accounts do not represent funding that is lost to the system. Rather, the department directs this funding to supporting apprenticeships in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to English and mathematics training for apprentices and to additional payments to employers, training providers and apprentices. On average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent over the last two financial years.  7553 7554 Table  (xlsx, 26.5KB)

Further Education: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding has been made available to further education colleges since their reclassification as public sector organisations in November 2022.

Robert Halfon: The department is investing an additional £185 million in the 2023/24 financial year and £285 million in the 2024/25 financial year to drive forward skills delivery in the further education sector. This funding is to help colleges and other providers to address their key priorities, particularly tackling recruitment and retention issues in high-value subject areas that are critical to the economy.The above investment is in addition to the £125 million of funding made available in the 2023/24 financial year to boost the national 16 to 19 funding rate and subject-specific funding. In the 2023/24 academic year, the department is applying a 2.2% increase to the final earnings for all adult education budget (AEB) formula-funded provision, excluding associated learner and learning support. In addition, the department is applying a 20% boost on top of earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision in six sector subject areas, including: Engineering, Manufacturing Technologies, Transport Operations and Maintenance, Building and Construction, ICT for Practitioners, and Mathematics and Statistics. The department will make an initial downpayment over the next two years ahead of introducing the Advanced British Standard, with funding benefiting further education as follows:- An additional investment of around £150 million each year to support those who do not pass mathematics and English GCSE at 16 to gain these qualifications. This will particularly benefit further education colleges, who play a vital role in helping close the attainment gap by 19.- An increase in funding to colleges and schools so they can deliver maths to more students aged over 16, increasing the Core Maths and Advanced Maths Premium and investing in a digital platform for tutoring in Core Maths. In total this is £60 million of additional funding for maths education over the next two years of which further education institutions will potentially be able to benefit from the Core Maths Premium and Advanced Maths Premium.- To improve the recruitment and retention of teachers of key shortage subjects around £100 million will be invested each year to double the rates of the Levelling Up Premium and expand it to cover all further education colleges. All teachers who are in the first five years of their career, teaching shortage subjects and working in disadvantaged schools and all further education colleges, will be paid up to £6,000 per year tax-free.Since reclassification, £884 million of capital funding has been confirmed for further education colleges and designated institutions to fund condition improvement, expansion and the provision of specialist equipment and facilities. Some capital programmes have wider eligibility to also include sixth form colleges and other statutory sixth form providers.£286 million further education capital transformation funding (final stage of £1.5 billion programme)£150 million prioritising condition improvement of the college’s estate£140 million Post 16 Capacity Funding (second round)£125 million Local Skills Improvement Fund capital funding£100 million T Level capacity funding (wave 5)£53 million to improve energy efficiency£30 million Higher Technical Education skills injection fund (round 2)The department has also opened the college capital loans scheme in April to enable capital projects reliant on commercial borrowing to proceed as planned.

Apprentices: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote the take-up of degree-level apprenticeships in the London Borough of Havering.

Robert Halfon: Degree level apprenticeships offer excellent opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. Employers have designed over 170 high quality, degree level apprenticeship standards to support them in developing the skilled workforces they need.It is great to see that there were 46,800 degree level apprenticeship starts in the 2022/23 academic year, which is an increase of 8.2% on 2021/22, of which 260 starts were by learners living in the Havering local authority area.The department would like to further accelerate the growth of higher and degree apprenticeships and encourage higher education providers to expand their existing offers or develop new ones. An additional £40 million is being invested over the next two years to support degree apprenticeship providers to expand and to help more people access this provision, on top of the department’s £8 million investment in 2022/23.Apprenticeships are also continually being promoted in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme. The programme had a reach of 640,000 interactions with young people in over 2,400 schools in 2022/23 and is supported by £3.2 million of funding annually.

Further Education: Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a funding mechanism for pay in further education that is separate to per-pupil funding.

Robert Halfon: Colleges and other Further Education (FE) providers are responsible for setting the pay of their teaching and support staff. The government plays no role in this process. Colleges and other providers can make their own decisions about teacher pay in light of their own recruitment and retention needs and local skills priorities.The department is investing an additional £185 million in the 2023/24 financial year and £285 million in the 2024/25 financial year to drive forward skills delivery within the sector. This funding is to help colleges and other providers to address their key priorities, including tackling recruitment and retention issues in high-value subject areas critical to our economy.For academic year 2023/24 there is an 8.3% increase in the average 16-19 programme funding per student compared to academic year 2022/23. This funding supports colleges and other providers with staffing and other delivery costs.The 2021 Spending Review set out an investment of £3.8 billion in skills across this Parliament to enable learners to access the skills and training they need to transform their lives.The department is also delivering a programme to directly support the sector to recruit excellent staff, which includes a national recruitment campaign; strengthening and incentivising the uptake of initial teacher education, including through teacher training bursaries in priority subjects worth up to £29,000 each (tax free for 2023/24); and Taking Teaching Further, a programme that supports FE providers to recruit and provide early career support to those with relevant knowledge and industry experience to retrain as FE teachers.To boost the recruitment and retention of teachers, we will also give eligible early career teachers in key science, technology, english and mathematics and technical shortage subjects, working in disadvantaged schools and colleges, up to £6,000 after tax annually on top of their pay. This will double the existing Levelling Up Premium paid to school teachers and extend it to all FE colleges for the first time.

Apprentices: Women

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of new apprenticeship starts in (a) engineering and (b) technical apprenticeships in the transport sector were women in the latest the period for which data is available.

Robert Halfon: The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by sector and sex are for the 2020/21 academic year and are published at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics.

Overseas Students: Cayman Islands

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides on whether British citizens residing in the Cayman Islands would be eligible for home fee status if they enter the UK (a) before 1 September, (b) on 1 September and (c) on the commencement date of their academic course later in September.

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides on whether the date of entry into England or Wales can determine whether a British citizen ordinarily residing in the Cayman Islands qualifies for home fee status.

Robert Halfon: Students coming to the UK from specified British Overseas Territories will be eligible for home fee status in England if they have settled status on the first day of the first academic year of the course. Higher education providers in England are autonomous bodies, and they assess a student’s fee status in accordance with the Education (Fees and Awards) (England) Regulations. Where a student does not meet the criteria for home fee status, a provider has the discretion to waive or reduce the fees where they consider it appropriate.

Institutes of Technology: Finance

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding has been provided to Institutes of Technology in (a) wave one and (b) wave two in each year since 2019.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent staff are working at Institutes of Technology.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Institutes of Technology have specially built facilities.

Robert Halfon: The department is delivering 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs), which exceeds the manifesto commitment of 20, of which 19 are already open. The department is providing up to £300 million of capital funding to the IoT programme to ensure that learners have access to high quality premises and industry standard equipment. The following capital funding has been provided since the programme commenced: Wave 1 Wave 2 2019/2020£21,836,758 2020/2021£60,772,151 2021/2022£38,932,896£706,2582022/2023£38,655,887£5,822,800 For Wave 1, this funded 47 new facilities, which comprised of 19 new builds and 28 refurbishments. 52 IoT partners received funding for specialist equipment. Wave 2 is comprised of 30 new facility projects, including 7 new builds and 23 refurbishments. 37 partners will receive funding for specialist equipment. IoTs are funded for participating learners in the same way as further education colleges and higher education institutions. The number of full-time equivalent staff working at IoTs is a matter for the individual IoTs and their constituent partners. The department does not hold the information requested on how many IoTs have specially built facilities.

Apprentices: Ethnic Groups

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many BAME apprenticeship starts there were between (a) 2015 and (b) 2020.

Robert Halfon: The number of apprenticeship starts from the 2014/15 academic year onwards by learners declaring themselves from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Apprentices: Taxation

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing employers in (a) commercial laundries and (b) other sectors to use 25% of their apprenticeship levy funds for non-apprenticeship training.

Robert Halfon: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 November 2023 to Question 614.

Department of Health and Social Care

Food: Advertising

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to implement (a) a 9.00pm watershed ban on TV junk food advertising and (b) a ban on paid-for advertising of less healthy foods on online media.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) quality and (b) adequacy of availability of sexual health services (i) nationally and (ii) in York.

Andrea Leadsom: No formal assessment has been made of the quality and availability of sexual health services to meet demand nationally or locally. Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning comprehensive open access to most sexual health services (SHSs) through the public health grant funded at £3.5 billion in 2023/24. Individual local authorities are well placed to make funding and commissioning decisions about the SHSs that best meet the needs of their local populations. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) supports local areas such as York to improve sexual health service delivery through data monitoring and reporting.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has reviewed the policies of other countries as part of policy development for (a) drug and (b) alcohol strategies.

Andrea Leadsom: International research, data and the experience of other countries’ drug treatment systems were reviewed in the development of Public Health England’s (PHE’s) Drug misuse treatment in England: evidence review of outcomes, published in 2017, which helped inform the Government’s 2021 drug strategy. The review is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-misuse-treatment-in-england-evidence-review-of-outcomesWhile there are no current plans for a new specific alcohol strategy, the Department maintains an interest in the effectiveness of policies implemented by other countries to reduce alcohol harms. The 2016 PHE publication, The public health burden of alcohol: evidence review, reviewed effective policies for reducing alcohol harms in OECD countries. The review is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-public-health-burden-of-alcohol-evidence-reviewOfficials in the Department frequently engage with international colleagues and those in the devolved administrations to exchange ideas, experience and evidence when developing new policies.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of personal, social, health and economic education in reducing the risk of drug and alcohol use; and what steps she is taking to improve that effectiveness.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Education is currently evaluating the delivery of the compulsory relationships, sex and health education curriculum. This includes drug and alcohol education, as well as a focus on mental wellbeing and other factors which can contribute to reducing the risk of drug and alcohol use. The findings and recommendations will inform progress towards our drug strategy commitment that all children and young people are provided with effective high-quality education to prevent future drug and alcohol use.

Ambulance Services: Warwickshire

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average wait time for an ambulance was in (a) Coventry and (b) Warwickshire in each winter since 2010-2011.

Helen Whately: The information is not available in the format requested.Ambulance response times are measured by response time category down to regional ambulance trust level. Coventry and Warwickshire are both served by the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS).The current ambulance response time standards were introduced in 2017 following extensive clinical trials and include average response times by response time category. Prior to this average response times were not centrally collected.The following table shows average ambulance response times for WMAS in December, January and February between 2017 and 2023.YearMonthCategory 1 meanCategory 2 meanCategory 3 meanCategory 4 mean2017/18December00:07:0300:13:120:39:491:04:30 January00:06:4800:12:220:35:200:57:11 February00:07:0300:13:140:41:351:00:51  2018/19December0:06:480:12:290:36:140:51:31 January0:06:440:12:110:35:170:51:40 February0:06:460:12:320:38:220:51:10  2019/20December0:07:020:14:561:01:081:16:39 January0:06:590:12:290:32:470:48:36 February0:07:090:13:060:41:160:56:45  2020/21December0:06:570:14:460:47:411:01:10 January0:06:510:14:480:51:451:03:04 February0:06:350:12:010:25:060:35:28  2021/22December0:08:190:48:193:20:503:46:03 January0:08:100:34:442:35:072:54:24 February0:08:110:33:362:26:143:15:26  2022/23December0:09:141:31:104:48:314:33:46 January0:08:110:27:211:39:181:51:52 February0:08:180:25:491:54:422:37:55Source: NHS England Ambulance Quality Indicators.Note: The national standards for Category 3 and 4 incidents are 90th percentile response times, rather than mean response.

Members: Correspondence

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 17 October 2023 and (b) 23 November 2023 from the hon. Member for Lewisham East, case reference JD36657.

Andrew Stephenson: I replied to the hon. Member on 8 December 2023.

Vaccination: Children

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the uptake of routine childhood immunisations.

Maria Caulfield: The Department works alongside the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England on a range of initiatives to support increased uptake of the routine childhood programmes, including improved data collection to identify and address underserved populations, communication campaigns aimed at parents and guardians and improving children’s access to vaccination services through diverse delivery methods, making getting vaccinated easier for all.NHS England has also rolled out additional programmes to improve immunisation coverage for children and catch those up who missed their initial offer, including NHS London’s measles, mumps and rubella campaign and a multi-phase polio campaign. Both campaigns also provide opportunities to catch up children for other important childhood vaccines, too.It is vitally important that everyone takes up the vaccinations to which they are entitled, for themselves, their families, and wider society. Anyone unsure about their child’s eligibility or vaccination status should contact their general practitioner for advice.

Ovarian Cancer: Diagnosis

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve the diagnosis (a) rates and (b) treatments for ovarian cancer in (i) England and (ii) Romford constituency.

Andrew Stephenson: Improving the diagnosis rate and treatment for all cancers including for ovarian cancer, is a priority for this Government. The Department is working with NHS England and is taking steps across England to increase diagnosis rates, including setting stretching ambitions, supporting general practitioners (GPs) in referring patients, expanding diagnostic capacity and enabling more precise diagnosis through technology. These steps and actions apply in Romford as across England.To encourage people to see their general practitioner if they notice symptoms that could be cancer, NHS England runs the ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaigns, which address the barriers that deter patients from accessing the National Health Service. NHS England is currently running a ‘Help us Help you’ campaign highlighting the abdominal and urological symptoms of cancer, including ovarian cancer, and addressing the barriers that stop people from accessing services in the NHS.NHS England introduced the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) which aims to ensure patients have cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days of urgent referral from a GP or screening services with a 75% standard ambition. To achieve the FDS, NHS England has implemented ‘non-specific symptom pathways’ for patients who have symptoms that do not align to a particular type of tumour, including for non-specific symptoms of pancreatic cancer.Further to this, the Department has committed to £2.3 billion of capital funding to expanding diagnostic capacity across the NHS by rolling out more community diagnostic centres, delivering vital tests, scans and checks, including for ovarian cancer.The Department invests in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR has funded six research projects into screening for ovarian cancer since 2018, with a combined total funding value of £3.8 million, including looking at the impact and effectiveness of different kinds of testing and screening and effectiveness of treatment options. The overall goal is to improve diagnosis and treatment to improve patient outcomes.

Ovarian Cancer: Health Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of ovarian cancer in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

Andrew Stephenson: Raising awareness and improving early diagnosis of cancers, which includes ovarian cancer, remains a priority across England, including in Romford. NHS England is working towards the NHS Long Term Plan ambition of diagnosing 75% of stageable cancers at stage 1 and 2 by 2028. Achieving this will mean that, from 2028, around 55,000 more people each year will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis.To encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice or are worried about symptoms that could be cancer, NHS England is running the ‘Help Us, Help You’ campaign. The campaign has included phases which focus on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of ovarian cancer. The National Health Service plans to run further Help Us Help You campaign activity in 2024.

Alzheimer's Disease: Research

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support research into treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department funds dementia research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and is taking a number of steps to support research into treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. On 14 August 2022, the former Prime Minister publicly launched the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, along with £95 million of Government funding, to speed up the development of new treatments. Alongside the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, the NIHR is investing in the Dementia Translational Research Collaboration which seeks to significantly expand the United Kingdom’s early phase clinical trial capabilities in dementia to speed up the development of new treatments for dementia, including for Alzheimer’s disease.The NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) received nearly £39 million of NIHR funding for dementia and neurodegeneration research between 2022 and 2027 with six of the NIHR BRCs containing a dedicated dementia or neurodegeneration research theme. The BRCs include specialties in Alzheimer’s disease. The BRCs are brought together by the NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration to maximise collaboration between centres and accelerate the translation of discoveries to improve the diagnosis and treatment of dementia into clinical practice.

Elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to promote the usage of Kaftrio as a treatment for cystic fibrosis.

Andrew Stephenson: The cystic fibrosis medicine Kaftrio (ivacaftor/tezacaftor/elexacaftor) is currently available as a treatment option for eligible National Health Service patients under the terms of an interim access agreement. The agreement has made Kaftrio and other cystic fibrosis medicines available at a reduced price and for a limited time, while enabling the collection of data to inform an appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to determine whether the medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS. On 15 November 2023, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved a new licence extension, and children as young as two with cystic fibrosis are now eligible to receive Kaftrio through the interim access agreement. The NICE appraisal is now underway and NICE recently consulted on its draft guidance.

Hospitals: Food

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) quality and (b) nutritional value of meals for NHS patients.

Andrew Stephenson: We know the importance of quality, nutritious hospital food to aid a patient’s recovery. All NHS trusts should ensure should healthy, nutritious food is on offer for patients and staff.Following the publication of the Independent Review on Hospital Food in October 2020, NHS England is leading a three-year plan entitled Great Food, Good Health to implement the recommendations from the review with the aim to improve hospital food.In November 2022, NHS England published updated NHS Food and Drink Standards. These include eight mandatory standards that trusts are expected to implement, including a requirement to have a designated board director responsible for food, more specifically nutrition and safety. NHS England is considering the best way to measure the effectiveness of improvements resulting from those standards.All National Health Service hospital meals are nutritionally analysed to ensure the correct combination of nutrients is achieved and no patient menu is passed until this has happened. This will be done by either a trust using in house dietetic support or by the meal provider if using external delivered meal services.

Primary Health Care: Sussex

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will provide NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board with the additional £8m funding required to pay for the projected increase in demand in primary care for Locally Commissioned Services for this financial year.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department sets NHS England’s budget, with funding increasing to £162.5 billion in 2024/25.NHS England is responsible for allocating healthcare resources to integrated care boards (ICBs) to meet the healthcare needs of their populations. ICBs then decide how that funding is spent within the local integrated care system. Allocations are determined using an independently recommended ‘weighted capitation’ formula to produce a target allocation or ‘fair share’, including for primary care, which accounts for population size.

Cancer

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies on prevention of the Cancer Research UK publication entitled, Longer, better lives: A manifesto for cancer research and care.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government welcomes the Cancer Research UK report which rightly highlights progress made against cancer. We have invested over £100 million into cancer research in 2021/22 through the National Institute for Health and Care Research. We are working closely with research partners in relevant all sectors and are confident the Government's continued commitment to cancer research will help us to continue to make progress, leading to continued improvements for cancer patients.Cancer is being diagnosed at an earlier stage, more often, with survival rates improving across almost all types of cancer and the National Health Service seeing and treating record numbers of cancer patients over the last two years.Our Major Conditions Strategy will set out how we will improve cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment and we have opened 135 community diagnostic centres offering over five million additional tests, including for cancer.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of medication for people with ADHD in Wansbeck constituency; and what recent estimate he has made of when supplies of this medication will be available.

Andrew Stephenson: Shortages of medicines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have primarily been driven by capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites These issues have resulted in global supply disruptions. The Department has been working closely with the respective manufacturers and some issues have now been resolved. However, we know that there continue to be disruptions to the supply of some other medicines, which should resolve by April 2024.We have well-established processes to manage supply issues and continue to work with the respective manufacturers and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the supply disruptions are resolved as soon as possible.We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues with ADHD medicine supply in the United Kingdom as soon as possible and to help ensure patients are able to access these medicines in the short and long term.We do not hold information or act at a local level but issue regular communication to enable healthcare professionals to make appropriate prescribing decisions.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the medication initiation waiting time for people who receive a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder through Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Maria Caulfield: With respect to referral and treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), healthcare professionals, commissioners and providers should have due regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline NG87: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management. This guideline, updated in September 2019, aims to improve recognition and diagnosis, as well as the quality of care and support for people with ADHD. The guideline also covers considerations on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for ADHD.More specifically, the guideline states that for children aged five years old and over and for adults, medication should be offered if ADHD symptoms are still causing a significant impairment in at least one domain after environmental modifications have been implemented and reviewed. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87Overall, the decision and timescale for initiating medication should be a clinical decision based on the individual patient.We are aware of current disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of ADHD. The Department has been working closely with the respective manufacturers to ensure that the supply disruptions are resolved as soon as possible.

Sepsis: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure all Trusts with secondary care services have a clinical lead for sepsis.

Maria Caulfield: In line with the recommendations in the National Confidential Enquiry in Patient Outcome and Death Report, trusts should have a formal protocol for the early identification and management of sepsis and should also appoint a clinical lead for sepsis to champion best practice and take responsibility for the clinical governance of patients with sepsis. This lead should also work closely with those responsible for antimicrobial stewardship in their hospital. This role is not monitored by the Department, as the employment of appropriate staff to manage patients is the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts. The report is available at the following link:https://www.ncepod.org.uk/2015sepsis.htmlNHS England is continuing to work to improve awareness and clinical recognition of acute deterioration and sepsis across the healthcare system. Responsibility for recognising acute deterioration falls to all healthcare workers. NHS England has launched multiple sepsis training toolkits, including training for general practitioner reception staff and trust executive boards.

Infectious Diseases: Lasers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has provided funding for the procurement of into laser treatments for the prevention of (a) sepsis and (b) bacterial infections for people with wounds.

Andrew Stephenson: The Department invests over £1 billion per year through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Since 2017, the NIHR has funded 14 research projects on sepsis diagnosis and management, with a combined total funding value of over £27 million.The Department continues to invest heavily in research and development of new tools to aid in the detection and management of sepsis and bacterial infections with the guidance of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).Laser therapies for sepsis and bacterial infections are still in their infancy, but the Department will continue to work closely with NICE to ensure that when they mature, their efficacy is proven and, subject to NICE recommending their use, they may become available to the National Health Service.

Health Professions: Regulation

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Patient safety boost as medical associates to be regulated, published on 11 December 2023, for what reasons the General Medical Council was appointed as the regulator.

Andrew Stephenson: The assessment of the appropriate regulatory body for physician associate (PA) and anaesthesia associate (AA) regulation was completed in 2019. On 7 February 2019, the Government published its response to the consultation on the Regulation of Medical Associate Professions in the United Kingdom, confirming its decision to introduce statutory regulation for PAs and AAs. The majority of respondents to the consultation were in favour of the General Medical Council (GMC) taking on regulation.Following further work by the Department, on 18 July 2019, the Government announced that it would be asking the GMC to regulate both roles.Regulation by the GMC will mean that the organisation will have responsibility and oversight of doctors, AAs and PAs, allowing them to take a holistic approach to the education, training and standards of all three roles. This will enable a more coherent and co-ordinated approach to regulation and, by making it easier for employers, patients, and the public to understand the relationship between these roles and doctors, help to embed them in the workforce.On 13 December 2023, the Department laid draft legislation in both Houses and in the Scottish Parliament that will empower the GMC to commence regulation for AAs and PAs by the end of 2024.

Rare Cancers: Clinical Trials

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding her Department has provided for research that has led to clinical trials for (a) paediatric cancer, (b) neuroblastoma and (c) other rare cancers in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stephenson: The information requested is shown in the attached table.Attachment (docx, 22.0KB)

Health Services: Women

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for (a) treatment for and (b) diagnosis of (i) endometriosis, (ii) polycystic ovary syndrome and (iii) other women's health concerns; and what steps she is taking to help ensure young women seeking treatment for these conditions have their concerns taken seriously.

Maria Caulfield: The Women’s Health Strategy sets out the government’s plans for boosting the health and wellbeing of women and girls and ensuring they feel listened to and have their concerns taken seriously. We are investing £25 million in women’s health hubs which will play a key role in improving access to care. Menstrual problems assessment and treatment for conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are core services in women’s health hubs.Community diagnostic centres (CDCs) are playing an important part in tackling the backlogs of people waiting for diagnostic tests, which includes checks, tests and scans for patients on gynaecological pathways, including those with endometriosis and PCOS. As of December 2023, there are 140 CDCs operational which have delivered over six million additional tests since July 2021.Additionally, gynaecology is one of six specialties being prioritised through surgical hubs for planned procedures. Surgical hubs focus on providing high-volume low-complexity surgery, such as hysteroscopies for women not suitable for outpatient clinic procedures and laparoscopies for suspected endometriosis. There are currently 94 surgical hubs operational across the National Health Service in England, with 45 of these conducting gynaecological procedures.

Measles: Disease Control

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent a measles outbreak.

Maria Caulfield: The Department monitors and drives vaccine coverage in the United Kingdom, prepares the National Health Service, and tests the ability to respond to a potential outbreaks. In January 2024, we will be running a national multi-agency exercise to assess the system-wide preparedness to respond to a large measles outbreak at a regional and national level.National measles guidance has been updated, and a range of resources have been published including posters and training resources, which are all available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-measles-guidelineshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-information-and-poster-for-health-professionalshttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/measles-guidance-data-and-analysisThe Department, NHS England, and wider health system partners are also working to raise awareness of the risks of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) and to increase vaccination coverage. This is being done through national and regional exercises, communication campaigns and targeted outreach for underserved communities.NHS England has agreed with general practices to focus their annual MMR campaign to ensure that consistent efforts are made to contact those eligible who have not taken up a vaccine offer between November 2023 and March 2024. A national call recall for individuals aged six years old up to and including 25 years old who are not up to date with their MMR vaccine is planned for 2024.

Sepsis: Death

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to review historic cases of sepsis to help (a) identify, (b) treat and (c) prevent mortality arising from sepsis.

Maria Caulfield: The Department works closely with NHS England and other partners in the health system to support healthcare professionals to detect and treat sepsis.Reports of patient safety events from all trusts in the National Health Service, including on sepsis, are used by NHS England to identify new or under recognised patient safety issues, further areas of review, and appropriate action that may be required. The responsibility for specific assessments, reviews and management of sepsis by NHS trusts falls to local providers.In addition, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care receives Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) reports, issued by a coroner in the event of an avoidable death, including from sepsis, outlining any clinical, administrative or policy errors. The Secretary of State has a legal duty to provide a response outlining action taken, or proposed, and setting out a timetable for action. PFD reports and their responses are published online by the Chief Coroner’s Office.

Sepsis: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to ensure all infections are screened for sepsis.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure protocols for diagnosing sepsis are applied across the healthcare sector.

Maria Caulfield: Sepsis can be a devastating condition and patients rightly expect the NHS to be able to recognise, diagnose and treat it early. Clinicians are supported to recognise sepsis by using the National Early Warning Score (NEWS2), now used in 98% of acute trusts and 100% of ambulance trusts in England. Building on the latest evidence from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will publish updated national sepsis guidance in January 2024 reflecting a targeted and measured approach to the antimicrobial treatment and management of sepsis.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the global supply of (a) Methylphenidate, (b) Lisdexamfetamine, (c) Guanfacine and (d) other Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medications.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of NHS supplies of (a) Methylphenidate, (b) Lisdexamfetamine, (c) Guanfacine and (d) other Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medications.

Andrew Stephenson: Shortages of medicines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) including methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, and guanfacine have primarily been driven by regulatory issues at key manufacturing sites and capacity constraints at third party manufacturing sites, compounded by steady increases in demand. These issues have resulted in global supply disruptions. The Department has been working closely with the respective manufacturers and some issues including shortages of guanfacine have now been resolved. However, we know that there continue to be disruptions to the supply of some other medicines, which should resolve by April 2024.We have well-established processes to manage supply issues and continue to work with the respective manufacturers and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the supply disruptions are resolved as soon as possible.We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues with ADHD medicine supply in the United Kingdom as soon as possible and to help ensure patients are able to access these medicines in the short and long term.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has set targets for the (a) reduction of (i) drug and (ii) alcohol use and (b) number of people receiving treatment for related addictions.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support people with (a) drug and (b) alcohol addictions.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to improve coordination on reducing drug and alcohol harms.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government published a 10-year drug strategy in December 2021 which sets out three core priorities: cutting off drug supply, creating a world class treatment and recovery system, and achieving a generational shift in demand for drugs. The strategy aims to reduce crime, drug related deaths, harm, and overall drug use and is backed by significant new investment. The Government has invested an additional £780 million in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services, of which £532 million is dedicated to rebuilding local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England. The drug strategy includes a specific target of getting 54,500 more people in drug and alcohol treatment between 2022/23 and 2024/25. Success is being measured against a system of local and national outcomes frameworks. More information on the strategy is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/from-harm-to-hope-a-10-year-drugs-plan-to-cut-crime-and-save-lives/from-harm-to-hope-a-10-year-drugs-plan-to-cut-crime-and-save-livesDelivery of the drugs strategy is a cross-government priority; the Joint Combatting Drugs Unit (JCDU) is a cross-Government team, based in the Home Office, that was set up to coordinate the drug strategy delivery across all relevant Government departments. The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the JCDU to work to achieve the aims of the drug strategy.No specific targets have been set for the reduction of alcohol use in England; however, the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low-risk drinking guidelines recommends that adults consume no more than 14 units of alcohol per week. According to the 2021 Health Survey for England, around 80% of adults in England drink within these guidelines. Through the NHS Long Term Plan, the Government is investing £27 million to establish alcohol care teams in the 25% of acute hospitals in England with the greatest need. These specialist teams identify alcohol dependent patients admitted to hospital for any reason, start them on specialist treatment as inpatients, and facilitate them into community-based substance misuse treatment upon discharge.

Sepsis: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of processes for the management of sepsis in other countries.

Maria Caulfield: The Department does not routinely assess the implications of its policies for the management of sepsis on policies in other countries. However, the Government does engage in international discussions on the management of infections such as sepsis, including through the World Health Organization (WHO).The WHO has recently published a global strategy on infection prevention and control, which aligns with Resolution WHA70.7, Improving the prevention, diagnosis and clinical management of sepsis.Furthermore, the Government supports strengthening health systems in low-and-middle-income countries, to prevent and manage infection such as sepsis where the burden is greatest.The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body, and its guidelines are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and developed by experts through consultation with stakeholders in line with NICE’s internationally respected processes. Building on the latest evidence from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, NICE will publish updated national sepsis guidance in early 2024.

Community Care

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with local authorities on the (a) quality, (b) quantity and (c) other aspects of the adequacy of accommodation in the community for people with (i) mental health and (ii) other complex needs.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will bring forward proposals to end the use of private sector residential care accommodation for (a) adults and (b) children and young people with mental health challenges.

Maria Caulfield: Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the care and support needs of their local population. That is why, under the Care Act, local authorities are tasked with the duty to shape their care market and deliver a range of high quality, sustainable, person-centred care and support services to meet diverse local needs.The Department of Health and Social Care continues to work closely to support the Care Quality Commission (CQC) with its new responsibilities under the Health and Care Act 2022 to give a meaningful and independent assessment of care in a local area. CQC is currently developing their approach to assess integrated care systems and local authorities with a view to understand how care in a local area is improving outcomes for people and reducing inequalities in their access to care, their experiences, and outcomes from care.There are many different types of providers who operate in this sector, playing a vital role in providing homes for children in care. To ensure the resilience of both independent fostering agencies and children’s homes providers, the Department for Education is working to develop plans for a financial oversight regime. This will allow for greater financial transparency across the sector, for example of ownership, debt structures and profit making preventing sudden market exit, and ensuring that children continue to receive the care that they need.The Department for Education has also committed to seeking to rebalance the market through supporting Local Authorities to expand their provision through £259 million of capital funding over the next parliament, which will reduce reliance on the private sector without reducing the number of placements. The Department for Education will make an assessment, with colleagues across Government and the sector, on what impact changes in the strategy have on the capacity in the market and the cost of placements to inform future policy.

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to identify suitable long-term placements for people who are detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 who could live in the community with additional support.

Maria Caulfield: Statutory guidance will be published for those being discharged from mental health inpatient settings soon. This will set out how National Health Service bodies and local authorities can work together to support the discharge process from hospital and ensure the right support in the community.In July 2022, we published the Building the Right Support (BtRS) Action Plan, which sets out cross-government actions to strengthen community support and reduce reliance on mental health inpatient care for autistic people and people with a learning disability.  The BtRS Delivery Board is overseeing implementation of the Action Plan and includes representatives from across Government and public services who are working together to drive faster progress, identifying new actions and mitigations as appropriate.This year, we are investing an additional £121 million to improve community support as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, including funding for children and young people’s keyworkers.The draft Mental Health Bill, published in June 2022, proposes the introduction of a new power, Supervised Discharge, which aims is to stop criminal justice patients detained under the Mental Health Act with specialised support needs from being in hospital unnecessarily. This will provide a route for these individuals to continue their care in a more appropriate and therapeutic setting, while appropriately managing the risks they may pose.Meanwhile HM Prison & Probation Service, acting on behalf of my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice, takes decisions on applications for section 17 leave for criminal justice patients following a robust risk-based assessment. This ensures affected patients do not need to remain in hospital beds and can continue their rehabilitation in a community-based setting which balances the need to protect the public, whilst recognising the rights of patients to receive treatment under the Mental Health Act.

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that people are not detained beyond what is necessary for their safety under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Maria Caulfield: The Mental Health Act (MHA) code of practice sets out five guiding principles should be considered when making all decisions in relation to care, support or treatment provided under the Act, the first of which is least restrictive option and maximising independence.The powers under the MHA should only be used when necessary and for as short a period as possible. The MHA sets out that detention should be regularly reviewed, and provides opportunities for people (or their family, carers of advocate) to challenge detention to ensure it remains necessary, this includes scrutiny by hospital managers and by the mental health tribunal.

Pharmacy: Conditions of Employment

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Social Partnership Forum has had discussions on the working conditions of pharmacists in community pharmacies.

Andrea Leadsom: The Social Partnership Forum (SPF) has a specific focus on issues and policies where there are implications for the NHS workforce. The SPF has had extensive engagement with NHS England on the development of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which has a strong focus on improving retention across the NHS workforce. Specific discussions about community pharmacy staff would not usually take place in the SPF.

Sepsis: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to develop a sepsis strategy.

Maria Caulfield: The current UK National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance discusses how we have stewardship programmes in place for both primary and secondary care settings, comprising a range of activities and resources to ensure antimicrobials are used appropriately and to improve prescribing behaviours. A copy of the plan is available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6261392d8fa8f523bf22ab9e/UK_AMR_5_year_national_action_plan.pdfOur stewardship activities are not just focused on reducing prescribing but also on ensuring timely treatment where rapid treatment with antibiotics is essential to save lives and reduce the long-term consequences of serious infection, for example from sepsis.Since publication of the 2015 cross-system Sepsis Action Plan, we have increased the number of patients being screened and treated for sepsis and, importantly, through the combined sepsis and AMR Commissioning for Quality and Innovation, increased the number of inpatients who have a clinical antibiotic review between 24 and 72 hours, reducing the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates: Regulation

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of instructing the General Medical Council to regulate (a) physician and (b) anaesthesia associates on the quality of care.

Andrew Stephenson: Introducing statutory regulation for these roles will enhance patient safety. Regulation will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for clinical practice and professional conduct, to enable anaesthesia associates (AAs) and physician associates (Pas) to make a greater contribution to patient care. The assessment of the appropriate regulatory body for PA and AA regulation was completed in 2019 following a public consultation. Most respondents to the consultation were in favour of the General Medical Council (GMC) taking on regulation. Regulation by the GMC will mean that the organisation will have responsibility and oversight of doctors, AAs and PAs, allowing them to take a holistic approach to the education, training and standards of all three roles. This will enable a more coherent and co-ordinated approach to regulation and, by making it easier for employers, patients, and the public to understand the relationship between these roles and doctors, help to embed them in the workforce.

Young Offenders: Mental Health Services

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans she has to improve the provision of mental health care across the youth secure estate.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England has statutory responsibility for the direct commissioning of health services or facilities in the secure estate for children and young people, including for mental health services Within this estate, the Framework for Integrated Care (SECURE STAIRS) allows for a trauma informed, collaborative approach to care, assessment and the planning of sentences and interventions, regardless of previous diagnosis. This includes input from mental health staff as well as from social care professionals, education professionals and the operational staff working on a day-to-day basis at the setting.   It also seeks to ensure that staff have the right skills and support to care for the children and young people appropriately. NHS England has continued to support the implementation and sustainability of the framework in the estate, in partnership with Youth Custody Service and the Department for Education.   As well as this, intercollegiate healthcare standards for children and young people in secure settings were first published in 2013. These standards were developed to help improve the quality and consistency of healthcare available to children in secure settings and have been refreshed in 2023. The standards benchmark NHS England’s core outcome based service specifications, including a specific specification for mental health services, which was also refreshed in 2023.

Perinatal Mortality

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that families are supported in the event of a stillborn child.

Maria Caulfield: In 2023/24, NHS England is investing £5.9 million to support the delivery of daily bereavement care services for women and families who suffer pregnancy or baby loss and is growing the number of staff trained in bereavement care.We are also looking to improve access to and the quality of perinatal mental health care for mothers and their partners. There are now 35 Maternal Mental Health Services across England which provide psychological therapy for women experiencing mental health difficulties related to their maternity experience including resulting from loss. Services are due to be implemented in every area of the country by March 2024.

Gene Therapies: Fees and Charges

Nickie Aiken: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with the NHS on the potential merits of providing access to licensed gene therapies manufactured in the UK free of charge on the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: We have had no such discussions with NHS England. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether all new medicines, including gene therapies, should be routinely funded by the National Health Service based on an assessment of their costs and benefits. The NHS is legally required to make funding available for NICE recommended treatments, usually within three months of the publication of final guidance. NICE has been able to recommend several gene therapies for use on the NHS, often subject to commercial agreements proposed through the NICE appraisal process, that are now available for the treatment of eligible patients.

NHS: Resignations

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the number of UK-born clinicians that have left the NHS in the last 12 months; and whether she holds information on the number that have moved abroad for work.

Andrew Stephenson: The numbers of leavers from the National Health Service, for staff employed in NHS trusts and other core organisation in England are published quarterly by NHS England as part of its NHS Workforce Statistics Collection. The data for the annual period to the end of June 2023 is attached. Leavers data is presented for staff groups by the self-reported nationality of staff. This will not necessarily be the same as the place of birth of a member of staff but may a useful proxy. The data shows that in the 12 months to June 2023, there were 27,813 nurses and health visitors and 13,574 doctors who left service in NHS trusts and other core organisations who had a United Kingdom nationality. Other staffing groups can be access through the data linked. The data includes staff employed by NHS trusts and integrated care boards but excludes staff directly employed by general practitioner surgeries, local authorities, and other providers such as community interest companies and private providers. The count of “leavers” includes staff leaving to work in primary care, to local authorities and to private providers. Each year there is flows of staff going each way between NHS trusts and other health providers. This is particularly important to note for doctors as data on leavers will include junior doctors moving on planned rotations and placements into primary care or other settings. Attachment (xlsx, 10982.6KB)

Physician Associates

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of requiring physician associates to work under a named registered medical practitioner.

Andrew Stephenson: Both in training, and subsequently qualified practice, physician associates (PAs) must work with a dedicated medical supervisor which will be a consultant, general practitioner, or other senior medical personnel. Training to become a PA involves supervised practice with real patients in clinical attachments. The dedicated medical supervisor is responsible for the supervision and management of a student’s educational progress throughout the clinical placements of the course. However, any professional in a placement location who is competent to do so may train, supervise, and assess a PA student in a particular skill, procedure, or competence. This includes practising PAs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

Pregnancy: Mental Health Services

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people accessing perinatal mental health services by NHS inclusion groups since 2017.

Maria Caulfield: The attached tables show the number of people accessing perinatal mental health services by age, ethnicity and indices of Deprivation deciles from 2019/20 to 2021/22. Data prior to 2019/20 is not included as the analysis of perinatal services did not exist prior to this year and as such would be subject to data quality considerations. Data for 2022/23 is due to be published on 22 February 2024.Information for PQ7732 (xlsx, 49.5KB)

Cancer: St Helens North

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time was for a referral for each type of cancer in St Helens North constituency in each year since 2010.

Andrew Stephenson: This information is not held in the format requested.

Social Services: Autism

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling the NHS to access and share data from social services for assessing for autism.

Maria Caulfield: No specific assessment has been made. On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services. This guidance will help the National Health Service and local authorities improve autism assessment services and improve the experience for people referred to an autism assessment service. As referenced in the guidance, as part of an assessment process, when feasible, and consent-permitting, it can be useful to speak with professionals who are currently or have recently been in contact with the person, such as professionals working in health and social care, education, the criminal justice system or third sector organisations. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/operational-guidance-to-deliver-improved-outcomes-in-all-age-autism-assessment-pathways-guidance-for-integrated-care-boards/In addition, we expect integrated care boards (ICBs) to have due regard to relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on autism when commissioning services, including autism assessments. It is the responsibility of ICBs to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, in line with these NICE guidelines.

Health Services: Visual Impairment

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce barriers faced by blind and partially sighted people in accessing health and care information.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Loughborough on 15 December 2023 to Question 5695.

Epilepsy: Children

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure children with severe epilepsy can access effective cannabis-based medications through the NHS.

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department (a) is taking and (b) plans to take steps to ensure that children with severe epilepsy are able to access cannabis-based medications through the NHS.

Andrew Stephenson: Licensed cannabis-based medicines, that have been proved effective in clinical trials and judged cost-effective by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), are routinely available on the National Health Service, including for certain types of epilepsy. However, clinical guidelines from NICE demonstrate a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions for unlicensed cannabis-based medicines.We continue to call on manufacturers to conduct research to prove if their products are safe and effective and we are working with regulatory, research and NHS partners to establish clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of these products.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Hospitals Transformation Programme will (a) increase capacity and (b) reduce delays at the Emergency Department at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Andrew Stephenson: The Hospital Transformation Programme (HTP) should enable greater capacity for patients with immediate or very serious life-threatening illness or injury at the emergency department (ED) at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. There will be comprehensive support to the ED from all the medical and surgical specialists required. The new clinical model delivered through the HTP will improve the efficiency of the ED by ensuring patients are seen by the right teams at the right time. This means that the Department not only has the required capacity but also the systems to support immediate patient care and ensure a reduction in delays within the ED.The Department has accepted the recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel that the HTP is the best way forward to improve acute hospital services for the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System.

Mosquitos: Infectious Diseases

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the UK Health Security Agency on the prevalence of mosquito-transmitted diseases in the UK.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department meet regularly to discuss the UKHSA’s responsibilities, including on mosquito-transmitted diseases.UKHSA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency routinely test British mosquitoes. UKHSA undertakes routine surveillance for mosquito-transmitted diseases and have tested samples from symptomatic people in the United Kingdom for evidence of likely threats since 2003. No indigenous cases have been seen although we regularly diagnose diseases in travellers. Any significant issues are included in UKHSA’s routine regular surveillance reports that are shared with the Department and across Government.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many unused covid-19 vaccine doses have been destroyed as of 18 December 2023.

Maria Caulfield: From December 2020 to 20 December 2023, 732,060 doses have been disposed of by the UK Health Security Agency. Vaccines are disposed of due to product damage or product expiry.NHS England holds some information in relation to disposal within the NHS England supply chain, equating to 21,000 doses. This data was reported in the NAO report February 2022 and is the last published data, which is available at the following link:https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-rollout-of-the-COVID-19-vaccination-programme-in-England.pdfNHS England does not hold the data for disposal of vaccine once the vaccine has been delivered to vaccination sites.

Osteoporosis: Screening

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the UK National Screening Committee plans to publish a review of its recommendations on screening for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Andrew Stephenson: The UK National Screening Committee considered screening women for osteoporosis in 2019, but recommended not to screen for it, due to limited evidence.The review is available at the following link:https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/osteoporosis/

NHS: Software

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of repeat prescriptions were ordered through the NHS app in each of the last 12 months.

Andrea Leadsom: There are currently over 33.6 million sign-ups on the NHS App, enabling users to access a range of services within the National Health Service, such as booking and managing general practice (GP) and hospital appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions and viewing their prospective GP health record.We estimate that the NHS App share of electronic repeat prescriptions only is 10.5%, up from approximately 7% in December 2022. The following table shows the total number of repeat prescriptions ordered via the NHS App in each of the last 12 months:DateRepeat Prescription Orders via NHS AppDecember 20222.2 millionJanuary 20232.4 millionFebruary 20232.2 millionMarch 20232.5 millionApril 20232.4 millionMay 20232.7 millionJune 20232.7 millionJuly 20232.8 millionAugust 20232.9 millionSeptember 20232.8 millionOctober 20233.1 millionNovember 20233.2 million

Treasury

Non-fungible Tokens

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using Non-Fungible Tokens in the (a) issuing and (b) tracking of government loans.

Bim Afolami: The government is not pursuing the use of Non-Fungible Tokens for issuing and tracking government debt at this time, though all decisions in this regard remain under review.

Duty Free Allowances: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to permit the sale of duty free goods to people on flights between Northern Ireland and EU airports.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is committed to preserving frictionless movement of people and goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland. This is important to communities across Northern Ireland and would otherwise undermine the Belfast Good Friday Agreement. Enabling duty-free shopping between Northern Ireland and the EU (of which Ireland is a member) without also introducing border controls on the island of Ireland would lead to significant distortions of trade as well as a significant revenue loss for both UK and Ireland. This is because it would create a legal route for unlimited amounts of alcohol and tobacco to flow into the UK market duty-free.

Business: Government Assistance

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the granularity of data produced by the ONS for the purposes of policy decisions relating to support for businesses.

Gareth Davies: The government is committed to working closely with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to ensure continued improvements to data and statistics. In 2016, Sir Charles Bean published an independent review of economic statistics. This made several recommendations, including to make data more granular and timely through greater use of large scale datasets. The government fully supported those recommendations and has since provided the ONS with £25m to implement them, which led to improvements such as use of VAT data in National Accounts estimates, and the publication of monthly GDP. Subsequently, at Spending Review 2021, the government funded ONS to undertake a further ambitious programme of improvements to its suite of economic statistics. This includes introducing scanner data into price statistics and further upgrades to the granularity of business statistics through greater use of administrative data.

Treasury: ICT

Matt Rodda: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answers of 29 November 2023 to Question 3658 and 11 December 2023 to Question 5608, for what reason the information could only be provided on 29 November 2023.

Nigel Huddleston: Detailed information held about Red Rated Systems is sensitive and can not be disclosed due to security considerations. However, as of 06 December 2023, HMRC as a Non-Ministerial Department has 4 red-rated legacy IT systems as defined in the CDDO legacy IT Risk Assessment Framework.

Interest Rates: Warwick and Leamington

Matt Western: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the impact of trends in the level of interest rates on homeowners in Warwick and Leamington constituency.

Conor McGinn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of trends in the level of interest rates on homeowners in St Helens North constituency.

Bim Afolami: The pricing and availability of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, the Government recognises this is a concerning time for mortgage borrowers.Rising interest rates are in part driven by Bank Rate. Monetary policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England. The MPC continues to have the Government’s full support as it takes action to return inflation to target through its independent monetary policy decisions.The average offered mortgage rates on 2-year and 5-year fixed rates have now fallen from their peak in the Summer.The Government has taken steps to limit the impact of rising interest rates on mortgage holders, through the Mortgage Charter. This Charter sets out the standards that signatory lenders – who represent over 90% of the UK mortgage market – will adopt when helping their customers.We have also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS), and Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans. Accordingly, arrears and repossessions remain low by historical standards, despite the rise in interest costs.

Mortgages: Warwick and Leamington

Matt Western: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on what the average monthly mortgage payment was in Warwick and Leamington constituency in each year since 2010.

Bim Afolami: There is a wide variety of data and statistics about the mortgage market in the UK available from the Bank of England (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics), the Financial Conduct Authority (https://www.fca.org.uk/data) and UK Finance (https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/data-and-research/data).

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobcentres: Armed Forces

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobcentre clients have been assisted by an Armed Forces Champion in Glasgow South West constituency in the last 12 months.

Mims Davies: Since April 2023, 231 members of the local Armed Forces community have been supported by an Armed Forces Champion in the Glasgow South West constituency. Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.

Personal Independence Payment: Take-up

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the document entitled Personal Independence Payment: Official Statistics to July 2023, published on 19 September 2023, what steps his Department is taking to manage increases in the number of new PIP applications.

Mims Davies: Despite the increase in new claims, we have seen a decrease in PIP clearance times since August 2021 with the latest statistics showing that the average end-to-end journey has reduced from 26 weeks in August 2021 to 15 weeks at the end of October. This means that we’re clearing claims faster than we were prior to the pandemic. This is because we are: using a blend of phone, video and face-to-face assessments to support customers and deliver a more efficient and user-centred service.increasing case manager and assessment provider health professional resource.prioritising new claims, whilst safeguarding claimants awaiting award reviews, who have returned their information as required, to ensure their payments continue until their review can be completed. In addition, the Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising Health and Disability benefit services to create a more efficient service, to reduce processing times and improving trust in our services and decisions. As part of this, from July 2023, a limited number of claimants have been able to begin their claim for PIP entirely online.

Department for Work and Pensions: Electronic Government

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 15 of the Fourth Special Report of the Work and Pensions Committee of Session 2021-22 on Disability employment gap: Government Response to the Committee’s Second Report of Session 2021–22, HC 866, published on 22 November 2021, when he expects delivery of a fully digital customer service to be complete.

Mims Davies: People are currently able to apply online for Access to Work grants. Some types of grants may be claimed online. We anticipate by April 2024 that a fully digital service will be available, with applicants able to claim for all types of grants.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department investigate benefit fraud; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost of fraud to the public purse in the last 12 months.

Paul Maynard: The latest information of the number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff who are in paid employment and undertake investigations on benefit fraud is in the table below:  NovDWP Product2023CFC ESOC527.7CFC Fraud Investigations (Including Surveillance)627.05Totals1154.8  Please note the following caveats Data is drawn at the end of each month. Data is correct as of end of November 2023.Figures were derived from the Department’s Activity Based Model (ABM), which provides Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figures based on point in time estimate by Line Managers. They cover only FTE of staff with paid employment. They have been rounded to one decimal place.Figures include all staff on CFC Economic Serious Organised Crime and CFC Investigations including staff undertaking surveillance activities.The data is frequently revised and changes to definitions / benefits / DWP structure effect comparisons over time. It should therefore be treated with caution and must be seen as an indication of how staff have been deployed.The number of staff is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal department use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard. As the Department holds the information, we have released it. Information on the cost of fraud to the public purse has been set out in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23. DWP annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Winter Fuel Payment: Eligibility

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) potential merits and (b) cost of expanding eligibility for winter fuel payments to those reaching state pension age in winter 2023-24.

Paul Maynard: An individual is entitled to a winter fuel payment if they have reached State Pension age by the end of the 'qualifying week', which has been defined in law since 1999 as the week beginning on the third Monday in September. This is to allow time to check eligibility, make the calculations (which in some cases include an assessment of household formation as well as date of birth and place of residence), and make payments as far as possible before Christmas. In 2023, the number of people who claimed State Pension between the end of the qualifying week (25 September) and Christmas (data available to 17 December) was 158,803. Source: Power BI

State Retirement Pensions: Terminal Illnesses

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to allow terminally ill people to access their state pensions early.

Paul Maynard: The principle of having a State Pension age that is the same for everybody is fundamental in the UK. Unlike a personal or workplace pension, which can potentially be drawn earlier, it has always been the case that nobody can claim their State Pension early, before they reach their State Pension age. We have no current plans to change this principle. For those at the end of their life, the Government’s priority is providing financial support quickly and compassionately. The main way that the Department does this is through special benefit rules, sometimes referred to as “the Special Rules”. These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment, serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit. For many years, the Special Rules have applied to people who have 6 months or less to live and now they have been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live.

Universal Credit

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward proposals in line with the recommendations on an essentials guarantee as set out in the report by Trussell Trust and Joseph Rowntree Foundation on that subject published on 27 February 2023.

Jo Churchill: No formal assessment has been made.

Employment Schemes: Barnsley

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding was provided (a) in total and (b) per-person for each employment programme operated by his Department in the Borough of Barnsley in each of the last three financial years.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

International Red Cross: Finance

Neil Coyle: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the International Red Cross's processes in ensuring that funding is not distributed to projects that support proscribed organisations.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO has controls in place to ensure that UK aid goes direct to intended beneficiaries, and for its intended purposes. The FCDO carries out due diligence assessments of UK aid partners to ensure they have procedures in place to manage the risk of aid diversion, including the risk of support to proscribed terrorist groups. We assess that our aid partners, including the Red Cross Movement which plays a vital role in ensuring that people in need can be reached and protected in times of armed conflict, have adequate processes in place to ensure that aid reaches those that need it most.

Weapons: Human Rights

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help ensure British-made weapons are not used in acts that breach human rights.

Leo Docherty: All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which includes Criterion 2, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination as well as respect by that country for international humanitarian law. Extant licences are kept under careful review and the Business and Trade Secretary has the power to suspend, revoke or amend extant licences as required.

Chelsea Football Club: Sales

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent progress the Financial Sanctions Implementation Office has made on the dispersal of the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are frozen in a UK bank account while independent experts establish a foundation to manage and distribute the money. They cannot be moved or used without a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. We want this money to reach Ukraine as quickly as possible and remain open to any arrangement that clearly delivers this.

Sierra Leone: Elections and Rule of Law

Neil Coyle: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment his Department has made of the strength of the (a) rule of law and (b) electoral process in Sierra Leone.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office,  whether he has summoned the ambassador of Sierra Leone to explain political developments in that country.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether Ministers have met their Sierra Leone counterparts (a) virtually and (b) in person since the elections in that country on 24 June 2023; and whether any Ministerial visits to that country are planned.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK has engaged stakeholders including the government, opposition, election bodies and the international community, before and after the 24 June elections. We have given consistent messaging on good governance, the rule of law and the importance of an inclusive democracy that works for all. The UK remains committed to supporting a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Sierra Leone.The UK commends the signing of the Agreement for National Cohesion on 18 October as part of the peace dialogue between the Government of Sierra Leone and opposition following the elections. We are coordinating closely with international partners to support implementation of the Agreement, including a national election review committee, a review of political prisoners and inter-party dialogue. These reforms are essential to strengthen the democratic process before elections in 2028.The former Foreign Secretary spoke to President Bio on 8 August and, most recently, I [Minister Mitchell] met the Minister for the Environment, who represented Sierra Leone at COP28. There will be further opportunities for Ministers to meet, including at the UK-African Investment Summit. Officials in London engage with the Sierra Leone High Commissioner and his team to discuss current issues in Sierra Leone.

Sri Lanka: Drinking Water

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help ensure that Tamils in northern Sri Lanka have access to clean drinking water.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are aware of the challenges Sri Lanka faces around water management and quality, particularly by communities in the Northern Province. The British High Commission Colombo regularly meets a range of stakeholders in the Northern Province to hear their experiences and issues. A number of public bodies in Sri Lanka, including the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, have conducted tests into the water quality, after concerns were raised by local communities. The UK Government supports the International Water Management Institute, an international water management research organisation, to provide solutions to increasing water scarcity in Puttalam and Kilinochchi.

China: Development Aid

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of continuing to send Foreign Aid to China.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: In April 2021, the FCDO committed to cut Official Development Assistance (ODA) funded programmes in China by 95 per cent from the 2021-22 financial year. Since then, all new ODA programming in China supports activities that further our human rights objectives, for example on LGBTQ+ or disability rights. In addition to programme spend, FCDO ODA to China includes other types of spend counted as ODA, such as Chevening scholarships. The FCDO also spends non-ODA funding furthering our China human rights objectives, including research into Xinjiang and Tibet. The UK stopped direct aid to the Chinese Government in 2011.

China: Buddhism

Claire Hanna: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the persecution of Buddhists in Tibet.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We consistently raise human rights issues at senior levels with the Chinese authorities. The Foreign Secretary did so in his introductory call with China's Foreign Minister on 5 December. We continue to raise Tibet in multilateral fora such as the Human Rights Council, in which last year we urged China to reverse its ongoing, serious, and systematic human rights violations in Tibet. Through these statements we have specifically highlighted UN reports that boarding schools are being used to assimilate Tibetan children into Han culture. In addition, we continue to coordinate with international partners to increase international attention on the human rights situation in Tibet, such as for the G7 Foreign Ministers' statement in November.

Nepal: Reconstruction

Kate Osamor: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help support reconstruction in Nepal.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Following the recent earthquake in Nepal, the UK supported the initial humanitarian response through the distribution of prepositioned relief items, support to broader UN coordination and through contributions to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Disaster Response Emergency Fund. Subsequently, the UK has made contributions of £200,000 to the World Food Programme to help deliver unconditional humanitarian cash to 1,730 families, and a contribution of £200,000 to the Start Fund Nepal which is working with local governments to construct temporary shelters, providing winterisation support to affected communities and helping the most vulnerable and marginalised groups.

Israel: Sanctions

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will apply Magnitsky-style sanctions to Israel’s (a) Minister of National Security and (b) Finance Minister in the context of settler violence in the West Bank.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Tensions in the West Bank must ease and we continue to urge Israel to address extremist settler violence. This includes preventing such acts of violence, and holding those responsible to account. The Foreign Secretary has announced that we will ban those responsible for settler violence from entering the UK. We keep our sanctions under review and reserve the right to introduce further measures.

Bahrain: Gulf Strategy Fund

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5691 on the Gulf Strategy Fund, if he will publish a list of the projects that have already been (a) approved and (b) delivered in the 2023-2024 financial year.

David Rutley: The FCDO publishes a summary of projects delivered via the Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF) on an annual basis. The full list of projects to be delivered in the 2023-2024 financial year is yet to be finalised, but details will be published as usual on GOV.UK towards the end of the financial year.

Guyana: Venezuela

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Guyana on the recent referendum in Venezuela on the Venezuela-Guyana border.

David Rutley: We are concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration. The Foreign Secretary has reassured President Ali of this. We continue to work with regional partners and international bodies to de-escalate tensions.I [Minister Rutley] visited Guyana on 18 December. I met with President Ali, Foreign Secretary Todd, National Security Advisor Captain Gerry Gouveia, Defence Force Chief of Staff Brigadier Omar Khan and the CARICOM Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett to show UK support for Guyana's territorial integrity.

Yemen: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals have requested consular assistance in Yemen in each of the last three years.

David Rutley: The British Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia provides remote consular support to British Nationals in Yemen. Prior to October 2023, our case management system did not enable us to isolate all consular assistance cases from within Yemen. Since October 2023 we can confirm that we have provided assistance to fewer than five British Nationals. British Nationals planning to visit or already in Yemen can visit the FCDO travel advice pages for Yemen and sign up to email alerts.

Nigeria: Development Aid

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of the population of Nigeria on the UK's aid budget in the next 10 years.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Nigeria's rapid population growth will put additional pressures on areas such as healthcare, education and food security. FCDO's Official Development Allowance allocations are regularly reviewed to respond to changing global needs and decisions are informed by a range of data and information sources, including poverty levels, humanitarian need, geopolitical prioritisation and the ability of a country to make effective use of aid and to self-finance poverty reduction.

Ministry of Justice

Feltham Young Offender Institution

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that Feltham Prison and Young Offender Institution does not exceed its operational capacity.

Edward Argar: Feltham comprises both an Under 18 Young Offender Institution (YOI) and a Prison, each with a separate operational capacity. The operational capacity is the total number of people that can be detained in that part of the site, taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is determined by the Deputy Director of Youth Operations on the basis of operational judgement and experience. Neither YOIs nor prisons are ever required to hold more people than their operational capacity. The Youth Custody Service and HMPPS Population Management work closely to move children, young people and prisoners to sites that meet appropriate placement factors. We balance the operational needs of children, young people and prisoners with the available spaces. While operational capacity figures at other establishments do include safe crowding levels, neither part of Feltham has been crowded in the last 20 years. The population, operational capacity and certified normal accommodation (CNA) level of every prison is published monthly at Prison population figures: 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), and the Youth Custody Report provides a monthly breakdown of the Children and Young Persons Secure Estate at Youth custody data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Prisons: Drugs

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many random mandatory drug tests were carried out in prisons in each year between 2019 and 2023 inclusive.

Edward Argar: Data relating to random mandatory drug tests is published online in the HMPPS Annual Digest. The table below provides the total number of tests in each year between 2019 and 2023 inclusive.Number of random mandatory drug tests in England and Wales April 2018 - March 2023 April 2018 - March 2019April 2019 - March 2020April 2020 - March 2021April 2021 - March 2022April 2022 - March 2023Number of tests54,24254,0474,73812,39641,308  Source: Contracted MDT testing laboratoryFrom March 2020 to April 2021 rMDT target levels were suspended due to the Covid-19 restrictions placed upon prison regimes. The increase in testing levels during March 2022 to March 2023 is associated with the re-introduction of the target levels and changes in regime following the pandemic. Data Sources and QualityCare is taken when processing and analysing returns but the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although shown to the last case, the figures may not be accurate to that level.This does not include tests that were spoilt or lost in transit on the way to the laboratory. Please see below the links to the annual digests from each year:2018/2019: HMPPS Annual Digest 2018 to 2019 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)2019/2020: HMPPS Annual Digest: April 2019 to March 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)2020/2021: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2020 to March 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)2021/2022: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2021 to March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)2022/2023: HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2022 to March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Data for April to December 2023 is not included because it is subject to future publication as part of the 2023-24 Annual Digest.

Aiding and Abetting: Convictions

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to (a) record and (b) publish data on conviction rates of joint enterprise.

Gareth Bacon: The Ministry of Justice only collects information on how many defendants are prosecuted and convicted for each offence in any given year. Currently, information is not collated on whether that prosecution or conviction relied on the law of joint enterprise.The feasibility of collecting data on joint enterprise cases is being considered as part of the development of the Common Platform Programme. The Common Platform aims to provide a single case management system that will enable the sharing of evidence and case information across the Criminal Justice System.

Theft

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were sentenced to prison for theft in each year since 2019.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were sentenced to prison for (a) common assault and (b) battery in each year since 2019.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were sentenced to prison for assaulting an emergency worker in each year since 2019.

Gareth Bacon: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of defendants sentenced to immediate custody for theft offences, common assault and battery, and assault of an emergency worker in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: December 2022. To see how many defendants were sentenced to immediate custody for theft offences, navigate to ‘Sentence outcomes’ tab, select ‘Theft offences’ in the ‘Offence group’ filter, and select ’06: Total immediate custody’ in the ‘Sentence Outcome’ filter. To see how many defendants were sentenced to immediate custody for common assault and battery, navigate to ‘Sentence outcomes’ tab, select ‘105 Common assault and battery’ in the ‘Offence’ filter, and select ’06: Total immediate custody’ in the ‘Sentence Outcome’ filter. To see how many people were sentenced to immediate custody for assaulting an emergency worker, navigate to ‘Sentence outcomes’ tab, select ‘8.22 Assault of an emergency worker’ in the ‘Offence’ filter, and select ’06: Total immediate custody’ in the ‘Sentence Outcome’ filter.

Young Offender Institutions

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to take steps to reduce the remand population in the youth secure estate in England and Wales.

Edward Argar: I refer the honourable Member to the answer I gave on 21 December 2023 to Question 7113: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament.

Young Offender Institutions: Buildings

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2023 to Question 200374 on Young Offender Institutions: Buildings, what progress his Department has made in identifying the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete in the youth estate.

Edward Argar: We are carrying out an urgent and comprehensive programme of works conducting surveys across our extensive estate. All surveys for the youth estate are now complete and no RAAC has been found to be present.

Young Offender Institutions

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5312 on Young Offender Institutions, what his planned timetable is for completing the resource review that will assess how to improve staff outcomes in each Young Offender Institution.

Edward Argar: The Youth Custody Service is on course to complete the review by the end of the financial year 2023-24.

Young Offender Institutions: Staff

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6655 on Youth Custody, how many conflict resolution practitioners have worked with children and young people at (a) HMYOI Cookham Wood, (b) HMYOI Feltham, (c) Parc YOI, (d) HMYOI Wetherby, (e) HMYOI Werrington and (f) Oakhill STCii to resolve conflict in each of the last 12 months.

Edward Argar: It is not possible to provide the information requested without detailed examination of individual records, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Prison Officers: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to increase prison officer (a) recruitment and (b) retention rates across the youth secure estate.

Edward Argar: All young offender institutions in the youth secure estate have live recruitment campaigns. Projections for all these are positive, and two establishments (HMYOI Werrington and HMYOI Wetherby) have already recruited enough staff to achieve their target staffing levels.As part of the HMPPS retention oversight process, all establishments have a Retention Action Plan in place. These plans focus improvement on areas identified by staff in exit interviews, when asked to explain their decision to leave the Youth Custody Service (YCS). Additionally, in response to exit interview data, the YCS has reviewed advertising and recruitment material, and the Youth Justice Worker Specialist Qualification route, nationally.

Prisoners: Care Leavers

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to HM Prison and Probation Service's publication entitled Strategy for Care-Experienced People, if will he make it his policy to publish an update to that publication that focuses on race and ethnicity.

Edward Argar: We are updating our strategy for people with care experience in the criminal justice system, to ensure we are using care-experienced people’s time in the criminal justice system to support them to lead crime-free lives.This will include a focus on race and its role in shaping the experiences and outcomes of those with care experience in the criminal justice system, and will link to wider departmental efforts to address racial disproportionality in the criminal justice system.We are aiming to publish this strategy in 2024.

Woodhill Prison

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps have been taken to repair broken telephones for prison inmates at HMP Woodhill.

Edward Argar: All public closed prisons within England and Wales which includes HMP Woodhill have a stock of pin phone handsets that are replaced on site in the event of the handset not working. If the fault is relating to cabling or port damage then the contracted supplier will attend the prison to resolve the issue.

Woodhill Prison: Repairs and Maintenance

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what maintenance work is required at HMP Woodhill as of 19 December 2023.

Edward Argar: We are continuing to invest in the prison estate to ensure prison places are safe, decent and secure. Over the last five years we have invested £16m at Woodhill, including upgrades to security and fire safety. A site wide programme of shower refurbishments is currently in development which will further improve levels of decency at the prison.

Prisons: Standards

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many urgent notifications have been issued by the prison inspectorate in each year from 2019 to 2023 inclusive.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the HMP Woodhill Urgent Notification: Initial Response Action Plan published on 1 September 2023, which actions set out in that plan have been completed as of 19 December 2023.

Edward Argar: Since 2019 there have been 11 Urgent Notifications issued. Details of each Urgent Notification and the Lord Chancellor’s response and action plan can be found on gov.uk.The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, alerted the Lord Chancellor of his concerns at HMP Woodhill on 1 September 2023. In line with the protocol between HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the Ministry of Justice, the Lord Chancellor responded to Charlie Taylor on 29 September 2023, setting out his response and action plan. We have commenced work on all 45 actions in the initial action plan, 10 are now complete and we continue to work on the remaining 35.

Prisons: Drugs

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 26 June 2023 to Question 190334, whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) prison officers and (b) other prison staff who have been (i) investigated, (ii) arrested and (iii) charged in relation to the supply of drugs in prisons in each of the last six months.

Edward Argar: The vast majority of prison staff are hardworking and dedicated. A minority of staff engage in corrupt activity. HM Prison & Probation Service has a zero-tolerance policy to drugs conveyed into prisons and take appropriate action to a small number of prison staff who break the rules. Our £100m Security Investment Programme, aimed at reducing crime in prisons, including reducing the conveyance of illicit items such as drugs and mobile phones, is ongoing. This includes increased resource to pursue corruption, as well as established a new ‘Prevent’ function, aimed at building staff resilience against corruption. Below is a table showing the breakdown of staff investigated from July 23 to Dec 2023 relating to the conveyance of drugs.Table 1MonthCases where Officer InvestigatedCases where Non-Officer InvestigatedTOTAL10442Jul208Aug197Sep187Oct197Nov237Dec56Below is a table showing the breakdown of staff arrested from 2019 to Dec 2023 to date relating to the conveyance of drugs.Table 2MonthCases where Officer ArrestedCases where Non-Officer ArrestedTOTAL127Jul31Aug11Sep23Oct31Nov1-Dec21 Below is a table showing the breakdown of staff charged from 2019 to Dec 2023 to date relating to the conveyance of drugs.Table 3MonthCases where Officer Charged*Cases where Non-Officer Charged*TOTAL12Jul--Aug--Sep-1Oct1-Nov--Dec-1  Source: Linkspace Case Management System. Notes:Linkspace is the Counter Corruption Unit’s (CCU) Case Management System used to record and track cases linked to corruption. Data provided by the Counter Corruption (CCU) have the following Caveats applied below;1) The new Counter Corruption Unit came into being in April 2019, with a new structure and a change to ways of working. During the initial transition period, and prior to the introduction of the new Case Management System, it is possible that not all arrests were being captured.2) Prior to April 2019, corruption in HMPPS was managed by the Corruption Prevention Unit(CPU). The CPU was a largely centralised unit focused on sanitising and disseminating allcorruption related intelligence to the Police, with an individual Regional CorruptionPrevention Manager (RCPM) in each geographical region offering advice and support toprisons in managing corruption, Hence data prior to April 2019 is not available.3) Data includes Non-Directly Employed Staff (public or private) as they provide a service on behalf of HMPPS.4) Officers ‘charged*’ is not an assured metric, the data below is likely very underrepresented given it is substantially lower than our CJS outcomes i.e., CJS sentences, court fines, conditional discharges etc over this period.5) The Investigations data is all operations opened on linkspace that relate to conveyance of drugs, for officers and non-officers. Some investigations are based off limited intelligence and many are unproven.

Wetherby Young Offender Institution

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of hours girls placed at the Wetherby and Keppel Young Offender Institution spent out of their cell on (a) weekdays and (b) weekends was in November 2023.

Edward Argar: The information requested is provided in the following table: Girls in Keppel Unit, HMYOI Wetherby: Average daily time out of room, November 2023Average time out of room per person per dayWeekdaysWeekends/ bank holidays4.634.604.72Data source: HMYOI Wetherby Time Out of Room returns The Youth Custody Service is reviewing staffing resources across the youth secure estate, to maximise time out of room and to deliver a regime that provides as many opportunities for personal development as possible, in a safe and secure environment.

Convictions: Foreign Nationals

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign nationals were convicted of an offence in the most recent year for which data is available.

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign nationals were sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence in the most recent year for which data is available; and how many and what proportion of these foreign nationals had previously been convicted of an offence.

Edward Argar: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prison and Probation Service: Staff

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2023 to Question 5069 on Prison and Probation Service: Staff, whether senior grade staff in HM Prisons and Probation Service have visited Estonia on official duties in the last 12 months.

Edward Argar: Four senior grade HMPPS staff have travelled to Estonia over the last 12 months as part of a delegation on justice cooperation.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of appeals to the Tribunals Service for (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) income support, (d) jobseekers allowance and (e) tax credits were successful in (i) Glasgow South West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Great Britain in (A) 2021-22 and (B) 2022-23.

Mike Freer: Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.SSCS appeals are listed into the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. Glasgow Tribunal Centre is the only SSCS venue serving the Glasgow South West constituency. The published data (which can be viewed at the link above) provide information about the outcomes of (a) Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and (b) Employment Support Allowance (ESA), for (i) Glasgow South West constituency (this is covered by the Glasgow data), (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Great Britain in (A) 2021-22 and (B) 2022-23.The tables below contain the requested information for Glasgow and Scotland for (c) Income Support, (d) Job Seekers Allowance and (e) Tax Credits for 2021 – 22; and 2022-23: INCOME SUPPORTGlasgow Venue1Scotland HMCTS Region1No. Cleared at HearingNo. Decision in Favour% Decision in Favour2No. Cleared at HearingNo. Decision in Favour% Decision in Favour2021_2022315553%301447%2022_202334~~8~~JOB SEEKER’S ALLOWANCEGlasgow VenueScotland HMCTS RegionNo. Cleared at HearingNo. Decision in Favour% Decision in FavourNo. Cleared at HearingNo. Decision in Favour% Decision in Favour2021_20229~~26935%2022_20239~~25520%TAX CREDITSGlasgow VenueScotland HMCTS RegionNo. Cleared at HearingNo. Decision in Favour% Decision in FavourNo. Cleared at HearingNo. Decision in Favour% Decision in Favour2021_20229~~211362%2022_20233~~11545% Notes:  1. SSCS data is normally registered to the venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. We cannot retrieve data based on the appellant’s actual address but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were dealt with at one of our Regional centres or heard at a specific venue. 2. Proportion based on the number of cases found in favour of the appellant at a tribunal hearing as a percentage of the cases heard at a tribunal hearing. 3. 1st April – 31st March  ~ Suppressed in line with official published stats. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data that are available. These data may differ slightly to that of the published statistics as these data were run on a different date.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: ICT

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the ability of unrepresented defendants to access their case files from the Common Platform.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the ability of unrepresented defendants to access CCTV evidence stored on the Common Platform before their trials.

Mike Freer: In both the magistrates' court and the crown court, unrepresented defendants do not have access to IT heritage systems and the same principle applies to Common Platform. The prosecution has a responsibility for serving all relevant materials, whether this is on paper or, where appropriate, using other media and they must also keep a record of what is served on the defendant. This extends to CCTV evidence, which is viewable to users of Common Platform. As unrepresented defendants do not have access to the Platform, alternative arrangements are made to enable the defendant to view the material being relied upon – e.g. providing a copy of the recording on disc.

Cemeteries

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has provided guidance to local authorities on notifying families of the deceased when (a) laying down and (b) moving (i) gravestones and (ii) other memorials.

Mike Freer: The Government has published a guide on Managing the safety of Burial Ground Memorials (Managing the safety of Burial Ground Memorials - Practical advice for dealing with unstable memorials (publishing.service.gov.uk)); and a Guide for Burial Ground Managers (8430_Burial Ground Managers (publishing.service.gov.uk)) which provides guidance to local authorities on managing burial grounds. These documents provide best practice guidance on the appropriate procedure where maintenance to a gravestone or memorial is required. Where removal of a gravestone or memorial is being considered, the guidance emphasises the importance of communication with the family of the deceased and the local community. This includes giving appropriate notice so that the bereaved family may make alternative arrangements if they wish.

Department for Transport

Railways: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the number of daily direct trains between Shrewsbury and London.

Huw Merriman: The pandemic has changed travel habits, and we have seen some substantial changes in passenger demand for rail travel. Operators are using this opportunity to reassess their services to ensure they provide rail timetables that meet new passenger travel patterns, are fit for the future, and carefully balance cost, capacity and performance.

West Midlands Trains: Rolling Stock

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2023 to Question 4396 on West Midlands Trains: Rolling Stock, how much funding his Department plans to provide through the West Midlands Trains National Rail Contract for depot and stabling facilities for the Class 730 train fleet.

Huw Merriman: The Department continues to work closely with West Midlands Trains on new and additional depot and stabling facilities for the Class 730 train fleet. As these projects are live and the size of the final programme is still being determined, the costs are not yet known, and funding options continue to be developed and should be finalised in 2024.Overall, however, this will be a major investment in the region’s railways.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consent his Department provided for train operating companies to agree short-term lease options with rolling stock leasing companies in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Huw Merriman: Consent was provided to train operators to make short-term lease or sub-lease extensions with rolling stock owners or other operators on (a) 18 occasions in 2021, (b) 54 in 2022 and (c) 11 in 2023. These short-term extensions were mitigations for factors including late delivery of functioning new-build fleets from rolling stock manufacturers or delayed cascades of fleets from other operators.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s (a) process and (b) strategy is for procurement of rolling stock.

Huw Merriman: The procurement of rolling stock is led by train operating companies. Under the previous franchising process this may have formed part of a successful bid. However, under the new operating contract model, operators still lead on the procurement and specification process, but the final business case is subject to a governance review by the Department and HM Treasury. A number of train operators, including Chiltern, Northern, TransPennine and South Eastern, are currently undertaking procurements for new-build fleets, with a particular emphasis on replacing older fleets.

Train Operating Companies: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the decision to not close ticket offices on the budgets of train operators.

Huw Merriman: We are currently undertaking commercial negotiations with rail operators over their budgets and business plans for the next financial year and it would not be appropriate to provide further details on those negotiations.

Chalkwell Station: Construction

Anna Firth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of when work will begin on the (a) accessible lift and (b) bridge at Chalkwell station.

Huw Merriman: Network Rail have now completed the design for an Access for All scheme at Chalkwell station. A delivery contractor was appointed on 8 December and the hon member will be notified when work on site is due to commence.

M42: Repairs and Maintenance

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the M42 Junction improvement scheme on the Gaelic Athletic Association facilities at Pairc na hEireann.

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had recent discussions with National Highways on the (a) M42 junction improvement scheme and (b) related works on the Gaelic Athletic Association facilities at Pairc na hEireann.

Guy Opperman: National Highways remain committed to delivering the improvements at the M42 Junction 6 and expect this scheme to be opened for traffic early in Roads Period 3 (2025-2030), following delivery challenges which revised the original open for traffic date. National Highways have also been working in co-ordination with Warwickshire Gaelic Athletic Association to provide a number of new facilities. The new all-weather pitch and the new natural pitch are now ready for use and National Highways are on track to complete the remaining works by Spring 2024.

Cycleways and Public Footpaths: Repairs and Maintenance

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the announcement on additional funding for pothole repairs in the Spring Budget 2023, what his Department's policy is on whether pothole funding can also be used by local authorities to maintain (a) footways and (b) cycleways.

Guy Opperman: Pothole funding can be used for all highways repairs, including to footways and cycleways.

Aviation

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the publication by York Aviation entitled UK Business Survey: Importance of Express Services, published November 2023, what steps his Department is taking to support the growth of the express aviation services sector.

Anthony Browne: The growing importance of air freight in the UK supports the Government’s ambition to drive economic growth and increase the UK’s global impact through unlocking trading opportunities. The Air Freight sector including express aviation services operate almost exclusively in the private sector. We help express aviation services by working to ensure that our comprehensive Air Services Agreement (ASA) portfolio remains fit for purpose. The Government has recently published a consultation on 4 December on airport slot allocation system reform. The consultation is open until 8 March 2024 and we welcome views from all stakeholders including air freight operators. We also intend to consult during early 2024 on proposals for the next night flight regime at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airports.

Great Western Railway: Rolling Stock

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he provided consent for Great Western Railway to agree a contract extension with Hitachi for maintenance of Class 802 Intercity Express Trains until 2028.

Huw Merriman: The consent for the contract extension with Hitachi for maintenance of Class 802 IETs was provided to Great Western Railway in March 2023.

Large Goods Vehicles: Upton upon Severn

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the number of heavy goods vehicles that use the A4104 through Old Street, Upton-upon-Severn when (a) the B4211 Hanley Road is operating as normal and (b) when the B4211 Hanley Road is closed due to flooding from the River Severn.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of heavy goods vehicles that use the A4104 through Old Street, Upton-upon-Severn when (a) the B4211 Hanley Road is operating as normal and (b) when the B4211 Hanley Road is closed due to flooding from the River Severn.

Civil Aviation Authority and European Union Aviation Safety Agency

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether it is his policy to negotiate mutual recognition of pilot licenses between the Civil Aviation Authority and European Union Aviation Safety Agency.

Anthony Browne: The UK continues to have a productive relationship with EASA in many areas and have already agreed a high-level Aviation Safety Agreement. We hope to be able to expand this in appropriate areas that support our industry in the future, including in relation to pilot licensing. However, this may well take some time, and it would require willingness from the EU as well. We are continuing to work to ensure an effective licensing regime supports UK aviation and delivering effective implementation of the existing agreement with the EU.

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to paragraph 14 of The plan for drivers published on 2 October 2023, what his Department's timetable is for publishing new guidance on low traffic neighbourhoods.

Guy Opperman: New guidance will be published in due course.

Transport: Portsmouth

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to promote sustainable transport in Portsmouth.

Anthony Browne: The Department has provided financial support to Portsmouth City Council to deliver a number of sustainable transport schemes including £58 million from the Transforming Cities Fund, £48 million under the Bus Service Improvement Plan and £1.32 million since 2020 under the Government’s Active Travel Fund. This is alongside the £2 bus fare cap which benefits all bus passengers throughout the country, and the Government’s ambitious plan to transition to electric vehicles.

Roads: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the potential impact avoiding compulsory purchase of properties for the building of the North West Relief Road on the cost of building that Road.

Guy Opperman: The governance of a local road scheme such as the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road, including considering any potential impact of compulsory purchase of properties for that road scheme, is overseen by the local authority, in this case, Shropshire Council. This would therefore be a matter for them.

Travel

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people usually resident in the UK travelled to the UK via (a) sea, (b) tunnel and (c) air in each year between 2013 and 2022.

Anthony Browne: The Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of people usually resident in the UK that travelled to the UK via sea, tunnel, or air in each year between 2013 and 2022.Data on the number of visits abroad by UK residents from 2013 to 2022 is available, however. This data is published in table TSGB0113 of the Transport Statistics Great Britain publication and reproduced as Table 1 below. The data in this table is collected as part of the Office for National Statistics’ International Passenger Survey, but the Department for Transport does not hold equivalent data for UK residents travelling to the UK. It is assumed that most UK residents travelling abroad will return to the UK at the end of their visit, but not always by the same mode of transport.   Table 1: Visits abroad by UK residents (in thousands) by mode of transportYearAirSeaChannel TunnelTotal201354,8627,9806,11768,959201457,8938,1736,13872,204201563,4387,9026,27877,619201668,3427,6395,77681,757201773,7467,4896,00787,242201876,3567,4966,71990,571201979,5347,1506,40293,0862020 [Note 1][x][x][x][x]2021 [Note 2] [Note 3]17,0611,17490719,1422022 [Note 2]62,2434,3714,33770,950 Note 1: No data were collected for Q2 to Q4 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Due to data only being available for the first 3 months of 2020, this year has been omitted.Note 2: Data collection from Dover port was restarted in Q3 2021 but no data were collected from the Eurotunnel for 2021 and the first two quarters of 2022. Eurotunnel estimates for Q4 2021, Q1 2022 and Q2 2022 are based on modelling passenger numbers with the data collected from the London Eurostar terminal.Note 3: Movements across the Irish land border are excluded from 2021.Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/tsgb01-modal-comparisons

Motor Vehicles: Noise

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to publish a response to the noise camera trials carried out by his Department between October 2022 and February 2023.

Guy Opperman: Roadside trials of noise camera technology commenced on 18 October 2022 and finished on 1 February 2023. As set out in the Government’s recent Plan for Drivers, the Department intends to publish the findings of the trial shortly and issue guidance to local authorities setting out minimum requirements and best practice for the use of noise cameras.

Luton Airport

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with Hertfordshire County Council on the expansion of Luton Airport since 2020.

Anthony Browne: The Secretary of State has not held any discussions with Hertfordshire County Council on the expansion of Luton Airport since 2020.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government Services: Finance

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding levels of local public services.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of outsourcing on the quality of service provision.

Simon Hoare: I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made on 18 December 2023 on the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement (HCWS148). We are seeking views on proposals for the 2024-25 Settlement via a consultation which closes on 15 January.We will consider all responses before publishing a final settlement early this year. To assess the amount of funding required for local government ahead of fiscal events, we estimate the additional resource required to fund the expenditure needs of local authorities, using a range of forecasts and indices to estimate demographic and unit cost pressures facing local government.Councils are independent, democratic bodies who are best placed to understand what is needed to deliver local priorities and are accountable to local people.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Waste Disposal

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support large local authorities to introduce food waste collections by 2026.

Robbie Moore: Any new financial burdens introduced through new statutory duties on local authorities will be assessed in accordance with the New Burdens Doctrine and the net reasonable cost covered by the Government. Given the additional costs involved in separate food waste collection, the Government will ensure that local authorities are resourced to meet any reasonable new burdens arising from this policy. We will work with the Waste and Resources Action Programme and other partners to provide guidance on best practice, and work with local authorities to help them to deliver services to all householders.

Flood Control: Maps

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Environment Agency on the (a) accuracy of flood maps and (b) extent to which those maps take into account an area's flood defences.

Robbie Moore: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Defra’s arm’s length bodies, including the Environment Agency, on a range of issues. This includes many topics on flood and coastal erosion risk management such as the Environment Agency’s flood risk maps and models.

Ivory: Trade

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the illegal trade of ivory.

Rebecca Pow: The UK Government is committed to protecting endangered animals and plants from poaching and illegal trade to benefit wildlife, local communities and the economy while protecting global security. The UK Ivory Act 2018 came into force in June 2022, making it illegal to deal in items made of or containing elephant ivory, and in May this year we announced that the Act will be extended to other ivory bearing species. The Act contains offences for those who breach the ban, with a mix of civil and criminal sanctions, with a maximum fine of £250,000 or five years’ imprisonment. The UK Government plays a leading role in tackling illegal wildlife trade and we are increasing funding by a further £30 million between 2022 and 2025. We have committed funding through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund on multiple projects to support protections for elephants, including £1 million to PAMS Foundation to strengthen law enforcement in Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Malawi to secure effective wildlife criminal prosecutions.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to ensure that farmers are able to (a) access and (b) use capital grants.

Mark Spencer: We have a range of capital grant offers which are readily accessible to our farmers, foresters and land managers to help improve our environment by planting trees and hedges, reducing air pollution and improving water quality. We also offer opportunities for them to invest in the equipment, technology and infrastructure that will help their businesses to prosper, while improving their productivity and enhancing the environment. These grants will continue to be available next year.

Waste Management

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Waste collection services: guidance for local authorities, published on 23 July 2021, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing statutory guidance for local authorities on sorting waste materials.

Robbie Moore: We recently consulted on the content of the statutory guidance for Simpler Recycling. We will publish our final statutory guidance once the regulations relating to Simpler Recycling have been made.

Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food: Official Visits

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food to visit the UK.

Mark Spencer: The UK has a standing invitation to all United Nations (UN) Special Procedure mandate holders. The UK’s Mission to the UN in Geneva is in touch with the Special Procedures Branch of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the visit request by the SR on Food, to find suitable dates.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made towards developing a new regulatory regime to be implemented once cross-compliance ends in 2024.

Mark Spencer: Defra has been working to ensure we deliver fair, effective regulation of farming and maintain our important environmental and animal health standards. All Defra group regulators have been involved in creating a better shared regulatory approach. Recent improvements include: publication of a single navigation page for rules for farmers on GOV.UK, developed with farmers, making it easier to find out what rules applyincreasing the advice offered by the Farming Advice Service so we can reach more farmers.expanding the regulatory resource for the Environment Agency with a test and learn approach on how we best enable compliance.opening Round 2 of our slurry infrastructure grant, as part of our commitment to spend over £200m on infrastructure and equipment grants to help to help livestock farmers in England tackle pollution from slurry.consulting on how we can best protect hedgerows as we phase out farm subsidies and cross compliance rules. As part of the Shared Regulatory Approach, we have worked with: the Environment Agency in how it supports farmers to undertake farming activities in a way that minimises risk to environmental outcomesNatural England in how it helps farmers protect and enhance Protected Sites and biodiversitythe Rural Payments Agency and the Animal and Plant Health Agency in how they help farmers to protect the health of our plants and animals and to maintain biosecuritythe Forestry Commission in how it helps farmers protect and enhance our trees and woodlands.

Disposable Wipes: Plastics

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to respond to the consultation on the proposed ban of the manufacture supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic, published on 14 October 2023.

Robbie Moore: The consultation on the proposed ban of wet wipes containing plastic closed on 25th November. The Government response to the outcome of this consultation will be published in due course.

River Thames: Pollution Control

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help reduce pollution in (a) the Thames and (b) Beverley Brook.

Robbie Moore: The Government published the Plan for Water in April 2023 – our comprehensive strategy for managing our water environment, including our rivers. It brings together the significant steps we have already taken with a suite of new policy actions. It aims to change the way that we manage water, improve water quality, and continue to secure our water supply. The Plan for Water is underpinned by three main things:Increased investment for improvements – including £2.2 billion from water companies to spend on new and better infrastructure in the next two years, more funding for catchment-scale groups, and increasing slurry grant funding for farmers.Strong regulation – including more Environment Agency (EA) inspections of wastewater treatment works, banning plastic wet wipes (subject to consultation) and new restrictions of ‘forever’ chemicals that damage our waters.Tougher enforcement – including bigger penalties for water companies and tighter control over water company dividends. The EA both responds to and investigates serious pollution incidents, such as the extensive work mitigating the impact of a category 1 oil spill in March 2022. There have been no serious (Cat 1&2) pollution incidents on the Beverley Brook since then. The EA permits discharges to the Beverly Brook to control and improve water quality. There is one large continuous discharge which is treated final effluent from Hogsmill Sewage Treatment Works to increase river flow and prevent it drying up. There are five permitted, combined sewer overflows which discharge storm sewage after heavy rainfall. None of these have significant environmental impact. Other sources of pollution are road run-off and misconnected domestic properties. The EA works with partners to remove pollution sources entering rivers. ‘Outfall Safaris’ are taking place to assess possible pollution inputs and these are managed by the Zoological Society of London and supported by the EA, South East Rivers Trust, and members of the public. These are investigated by Thames Water and rectified, often aided by the Local Authority. In 2022, three outfall improvements were completed with a further two this year and seven more identified. Monitoring by the EA over many decades shows that general water quality of the tidal Thames has been improving with increased regulation of sewage treatment. Harm however can still be done to the river by storm sewage discharges after rainfall. The London Tideway Tunnels will begin to receive flow in 2024 capturing the majority of these sewage spills, further protecting our aquatic habitat. The EA recognises that the performance of the water sector is not where it needs to be, and that robust regulation is a key element of the required improvement. That is why in June 2023, the EA launched its Water Industry Transformation Programme, outlining that it would be transforming the way it regulates the sector, embedding a new approach that targets resource and interventions to uncover non-compliance and drive better performance from the water industry. This includes looking at how incidents are investigated and how they are categorised. The EA will soon have new powers to deliver civil penalties that are quicker and easier to enforce. Actions that the EA is taking as the water industry regulator are set out in the annual water company performance report, published 12 July 2023.

River Severn: Flood Control

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Welsh counterpart on flood remediation measures for the River Severn.

Robbie Moore: Officials at Defra, the Welsh Government, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales have regularly met this year to discuss the Severn Valley Water Management scheme. In addition, the Environment Agency is working closely with the Welsh Government and other partners to explore the interventions that could reduce flooding as part of the scheme.

Chemicals

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the Chemicals Strategy.

Robbie Moore: Our strategy for chemicals is under careful consideration and will be relayed next year.

Sewage: Warwick and Leamington

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of sewage overflows into rivers and waterways in Warwick and Leamington constituency on groups who use the water for recreational activities.

Robbie Moore: The Government is clear that the volume of sewage being discharged into our waters in unacceptable. That is why our Plan for Water sets out more investment, stronger regulation, and tougher enforcement to tackle pollution and clean up our water. Alongside this, our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan sets clear and specific targets for water companies to reduce sewage discharges, and will drive the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £60 billion capital investment over 25 years The rivers in the vicinity of Warwick and Leamington (River Avon and River Leam) are not designated Bathing Waters. Monitoring undertaken by the Environment Agency is primarily focussed on its statutory duties to monitor and report environmental quality. We have increased the number of storm overflows monitored across the network: in 2010 only 7% were monitored, and now 100% are being monitored. Nationally, the Environment Agency has directed water companies to make significant improvements through the PR19 Water Industry National Environment Plan and water company business plans, including upgrading over 8,000 storm overflows in successive price reviews since 1989. This has resulted in water companies investing £3.1 billion to improve storm overflows between 2020 and 2025. Locally, Severn Trent Water, as part of their Green Recovery Programme, are carrying out a trial to improve a stretch of the River Leam near Warwick & Leamington Spa with the aim of making the river safer to swim in a location where bathing is known to occur.  This trial includes river monitoring and improvements to some of Severn Trent’s sewer network, infrastructure and discharges.

Chemicals: Waste Management

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on the management of waste containing persistent organic pollutants; and whether he plans to provide support to local authorities for the management of such waste.

Robbie Moore: Local authority representatives form part of a long-established Defra working group on the management of waste containing persistent organic pollutants. We also meet with local authority representatives separately and provide advisory support and guidance together with the Environment Agency.

Chemicals: Waste Management

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost to local authorities of managing waste containing persistent organic pollutants.

Robbie Moore: We have been working to understand the impact on local authorities of managing waste containing persistent organic pollutants and will provide an update in due course.

Sustainable Farming Incentive

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department spent in sustainable farming incentive payments excluding pilot schemes in the financial year 2022-2023.

Mark Spencer: The accounting treatment for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) means that spend on agreements that started in 2022/2023 falls under 2023/2024 budget. There is therefore no SFI spend recorded for financial year 2022/2023.

Chemicals: Regulation

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many substances have been (a) grandfathered and (b) notified to UK REACH and are subject to the extended data submission deadlines in the REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2023 in the (i) one-ten, (ii) 10-100, (iii) 100-1,000 and (iv) over 1,000 tonnes per year band.

Robbie Moore: The following table shows the number of substances by tonnage band notified as of 1 August 2023 to the Health and Safety Executive as (a) having a grandfathered registration and / or (b) being included in a Downstream User Import Notification (DUIN). Each distinct substance appears no more than once in each column; where the same substance was notified multiple times it is listed in the highest notified tonnage band. Where an individual substance has been notified as having both a grandfathered registration and being subject to a DUIN it will appear once in each column.  GrandfatheredDUIN1-10tpy1,0937,76510-100tpy8183,508100-1000tpy6501,171>1000tpy665715Tonnage not reported8369,283 The tonnage band is not a legal requirement of notification but will be confirmed when notifications proceed to full registration. The number of substances that are subject to full registration may be lower than the numbers set out above, as full registration is dependent on firms’ commercial decisions.

Dangerous Dogs

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an expert body for identifying XL Bully dogs.

Mark Spencer: We have produced a definition and guidance which have been published on gov.uk to help owners and enforcement officers understand whether a dog should be defined as an XL Bully. Dog Legislation Officers are responsible for identifying prohibited breed types for the purposes of Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and enforcing the ban once it comes into force. We will be supporting the police to deliver additional training to Dog Legislation Officers to ensure they are able to enforce the ban effectively.

Dogs: Smuggling

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle puppy smuggling.

Mark Spencer: The Government takes the illegal importation of pets seriously. It is an abhorrent trade which causes suffering to animals. The Government is committed to delivering the manifesto commitment on puppy smuggling. We plan to take forward measures to crackdown on puppy smuggling as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Dogs: Theft

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle dog theft.

Mark Spencer: We understand the devastating impact that the theft of a pet can have. The Government launched a Pet Theft Taskforce in May 2021 in response to concerns about a perceived increase in pet theft during COVID-19 restrictions. The taskforce published its findings and recommendations in September 2021, including the creation of a specific offence. We are making improvements to the cat and dog microchipping regime in England in line with the taskforce’s recommendations. In addition, police forces are working together to better coordinate and share best practice and advice on the steps owners can take to protect their pets. The hon. Member for Southend West introduced a Pet Abduction Bill on 6 December 2023 and I welcome her interest in improving animal welfare. In accordance with parliamentary convention, the Government will set out its formal position on this Bill when it receives its Second Reading.

Dogs: Imports

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were imported under the Balai Directive in each month of (a) 2022 and (b) 2023; and from which country did these dogs originate.

Mark Spencer: The information requested is provided in the attachment to this answer. It is a true reflection of the information that we have access to at this time. This information is drawn from external systems not directly controlled by the department.PQ 7424 attachment (pdf, 569.6KB)

Dangerous Dogs

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using DNA testing in the scientific classification of XL Bully dogs.

Mark Spencer: Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, the assessment of whether an individual dog is prohibited is strictly based on ‘breed type’ and its physical characteristics. Defra has produced guidance on the physical characteristics of the XL Bully breed type to support Dog Legislation Officers and dog owners to determine whether a dog may be prohibited.

Dangerous Dogs

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the guidance entitled Official definition of an XL Bully dog.

Mark Spencer: We developed the definition of an XL Bully dog by convening a group of experts and other stakeholders to define the physical characteristics of the breed type. This included representatives from the police, local authorities, devolved administrations and the Animal Welfare Committee, which advises the Government on animal welfare issues. We reviewed existing breed standards provided by breed registries in the United States and the UK and tested the standard in practice. We have provided further guidance to support owners in applying this.

Dangerous Dogs

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs have been classified as XL Bully dogs since the guidance entitled Official definition of an XL Bully dog was published on 31 October 2023.

Mark Spencer: It is for owners to identify whether they think their dog may be in scope of the ban by referring to the guidance. As of 18 December, we have issued 5242 certificates of exemption for XL Bully dog types and have received 39 completed compensation claims.

Probiotics: Labelling and Marketing

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing restrictions on use of the term probiotic (a) on food labels and (b) in marketing for foods containing probiotic microorganisms.

Mark Spencer: ‘Probiotic’ is a term commonly used to describe the effect of one or other strains of live bacteria used in food and food supplements. Food information rules require that the name given to a food, or an ingredient of a food, should be its legal name or, in the absence of this, its customary name. In the case of ingredients described as ‘probiotic’ this will be the specific strain of live bacteria used. There are no other specific restrictions within general food information rules. Regulations governing the use of nutrition and health claims on foods, for which the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has responsibility, protect consumers from being misled by ensuring that any health claims made are backed by substantiated scientific evidence. A health claim is any claim that states, suggests or implies a relationship exists between the product or one of its constituents and health. Under the Regulation, the term ‘probiotic’ can be considered a non-specific health claim. It can already be used, providing it is accompanied by an approved health claim for the specific strain of live bacteria. No further assessment of merit has been undertaken although the Department for Health and Social Care continues to engage with industry on any potential future application for new assessment. To date DHSC has not received any application for approving claims on specific strains of live bacteria. Companies would be required to include the specific strain in the ingredient listing.

Cabinet Office

Veterans: Homelessness

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral statement of 21 November 2023 on Veterans Welfare Services by the Minster for Veterans' Affairs, Official Report column 223, what progress he has made on meeting the target to eliminate homelessness amongst the veteran population by 25 December 2023.

Johnny Mercer: Op FORTITUDE is the dedicated referral pathway to support veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness secure housing. Through Op FORTITUDE, the Government has ensured that no veteran should be facing the need to sleep rough due to lack of provision.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons: Plumbing

Sarah Olney: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many plumbing incidents have been reported on the Parliamentary estate in each of the last three years.

Sir Charles Walker: In the past three years a total of 11,182 plumbing incidents have been reported across the Parliamentary estate:2021 – 2,345 incidents2022 – 3,626 incidents2023 – 5,211 incidentsWe have had multiple issues with toilets in Portcullis House due to the quality of the water in the system. To address this, new equipment, including a filtration system, was installed in Autumn 2023. An initial fault with this system was rectified by mid-November. A longer-term solution to improve the water quality is being planned by the Strategic Estates team.

House of Commons: Pest Control

Sarah Olney: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many times pest control has been called onto the Parliamentary estate in each of the last three years.

Sir Charles Walker: A pest control expert is based on-site. The pest control team monitor and take steps to manage pests on the Parliamentary estate.In the past three years a total of 1,180 requests for pest control have been made and the number for each year are given below:15/12/2020–14/12/2021: 22715/12/2021–14/12/2022: 41215/12/2021–14/12/2023: 541

House of Commons: Equipment

Sarah Olney: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many mechanical incidents have been reported on the Parliamentary estate in each of the last three years.

Sir Charles Walker: In the past three years 2,002 mechanical incidents relating to lifts across the Parliamentary estate have been reported.15/12/2020–14/12/2021: 46515/12/2021–14/12/2022: 63615/12/2021–14/12/2023: 901A lift refurbishment programme commenced in 2020 which aims to improve reliability and decrease unplanned downtime through mechanical upgrades. More than 60 lifts are being refurbished during a six-year phased approach programme. These lifts are situated within the Palace of Westminster, Portcullis House, and two outbuildings not on the main estate. The programme is due to end in 2026.

Stationery: Procurement

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the Commission has made of the (a) timeliness and (b) quality of service delivery of the designated stationery supplier.

Sir Charles Walker: The House Service manages a contract with Banner for the provision of both general and bespoke stationery for Members and staff of both Houses. It monitors Banner’s service through regular performance meetings and by reviewing performance metrics provided by Banner. The contract includes a dedicated account manager and a customer care hotline.Members can purchase stationery from other providers. The contract with Banner enables them to charge any purchases from Banner to their IPSA funded account.The contract with Banner was procured from the Cabinet Office’s agency, Crown Commercial Service (CCS), during 2021 and will be due for re-tendering during 2024.In my capacity as a Commissioner, I shall make representations to the House Administration asking that it looks at Banner’s service delivery, when the House returns from the Christmas recess.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

BBC: Political Impartiality

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the BBC’s compliance with the impartiality clauses in its charter.

Julia Lopez: The BBC has a duty to deliver impartial and accurate news coverage and content under its Royal Charter. As such, the Government has been clear that the BBC must place a firm emphasis on impartiality and maintaining the highest editorial standards.The Government welcomes that the BBC accepted the findings and recommendations of the Serota Review and has committed to reform through its 10 point Impartiality and Editorial Standards Action Plan. The BBC now needs to demonstrate clear and continued progress as the plan is embedded into business as usual.The Government established Ofcom as the independent regulator of the BBC in 2017. Ofcom is responsible for holding the BBC to account against its impartiality responsibilities. It remains a priority for the Government to work with Ofcom to deliver an effective and proportionate regulatory framework that holds the BBC to account while maintaining its creative freedom and operational independence.A key focus of the Government’s Mid-Term Review of the BBC is to look at the regulatory and governance measures which can enable progress on impartiality, more accountability for editorial standards, including the handling of complaints, and a BBC that represents the breadth of the audience it was established to serve.Our work on the Mid-Term Review is ongoing. The Charter specifies that the review must take place between 2022 and 2024, and we will publish our findings and conclusions in due course.

Social Media: Women

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking with Ofcom to protect young women and girls from damaging diet and weight-loss adverts on social media.

Julia Lopez: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating the creative content, media placement and audience targeting of advertising in the UK. The Advertising Codes which it administers contain dedicated rules for adverts relating to weight control or reduction, including prohibiting such adverts from being directed at or containing anything likely to appeal particularly to under-18s or those for whom weight reduction would produce a potentially harmful body weight. The ASA has banned a number of influencer posts promoting prescription-only weight loss injections, and also ran a call for evidence last year on advertising giving rise to potential body image concerns.The Online Safety Act will require all user-to-user and search services accessed by children to put in place systems and processes designed to prevent children from encountering user-generated content, including advertising, that is harmful to them. Content that promotes, encourages or provides instructions for eating disorders has been designated as a type of ‘priority’ content harmful to children under the Act. The Act also requires providers to put in place age-appropriate protections from any other content, even where this has not been designated as ‘priority’ harmful content, that risks causing significant harm to an appreciable number of children.

Gaelic Athletic Association: Finance

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has provided recent support to the Gaelic Athletic Association for (a) the redevelopment of Pairc na hEireann and (b) its other activities.

Stuart Andrew: The majority of support for grassroots sport is delivered through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England. Since 2019 Sport England has provided over £17,000 of funding to support Gaelic football.The redevelopment of Páirc na hÉireann was funded by Highways England, recognising that nearby roadworks impacted one of the site’s pitches.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: ICT

Matt Rodda: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answers of 8 December 2023 to Question 2996 and 11 December 2023 to Question 5290, for what reason the information could only be provided on 8 December 2023.

Julia Lopez: The department apologises for the delay in answering the Honourable Member’s question UIN 2996.The answer to this question was due to be published on 28 November 2023 alongside the answer to question UIN 2995. Unfortunately, question UIN 2996 was not answered on this date due to an administrative error. We apologise for this oversight and steps have been taken to prevent this from happening again.UIN 5290 was answered, within four working days, on 11 December 2023.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Written Questions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to respond to Question 4924 on Arts and Culture: Disability tabled by the hon. Member for East Londonderry on 1 December 2023.

Julia Lopez: A response to UIN 4924 was submitted to parliament on 19 December 2023.

Department for Business and Trade

Liverpool City Region Freeport

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help support the (a) Liverpool City Region and (b) Metropolitan Borough of St Helens in the context of its status as a freeport.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) supports UK Freeports to attract new investment, boost trade and create thousands of jobs in their surrounding areas.DBT provides tailored support to Liverpool City Region Freeport to develop and implement an ambitious trade and investment strategy, including to promote the advanced manufacturing and logistics opportunity at Parkside St Helens, as one of the Freeport’s strategic tax sites.Support provided by DBT includes the creation of bespoke marketing collateral and engaging potential investors at international events through DBT’s global network. In November, DBT supported the Freeport’s presence at the Arab British Economic Summit to target investment from the Middle Eastern market.

Greensill: Redundancy Pay

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2023 to Question 6145 on Greensill: Redundancy Pay, if she will make an estimate of the amount that will be returned to the Redundancy Payments Service.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government's Redundancy Payments Service is currently unable to make an estimate of the amount that will be received from the Administrators of Greensill Capital Management Company (UK) Ltd.The last Administrator's Progress Report covering the period 8 March 2023 to 7 September 2023 confirmed the timing and amount of funds payable to creditors was uncertain. A copy of the Administrator's Progress Report is available to view at Companies House.

Horizon IT System: Ex Gratia Payments

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many GLO Scheme cases have received full and final payments as of 15 December 2023.

Kevin Hollinrake: As of 15th December, the Department had paid 11 full and final settlements. A further 10 full and final settlements have been accepted, bringing the total number of accepted full and final settlements to 21.

Deposit Return Schemes: Wales

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Internal Market Act 2020 on plans to implement a deposit return scheme in Wales.

Greg Hands: The UK Government is working cooperatively with all the devolved administrations to deliver interoperability and alignment of deposit returns across the whole of the UK. The interaction with the provisions of the UK Internal Market Act 2020 are being fully considered as part of those discussions.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Storage

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make it her policy to require the National Grid Electricity System Operator to prioritise the use of battery storage instead of fossil fuel-based power.

Graham Stuart: The Electricity System Operator (ESO) has responsibility for balancing supply and demand on the electricity system on a second by second basis, whilst minimising the cost for consumers. The Government and Ofgem's 2021 Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan includes actions to open up markets and to remove barriers to participation for low-carbon flexibility such as battery storage. The Review of Electricity Market Arrangements programme is considering market reforms to drive a secure, cost-effective, low-carbon electricity system, including reform options to facilitate the deployment and operation of low-carbon flexible technologies such as battery storage.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Telephone Services

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many (a) traffic lights, (b) CCTV cameras and (c) telecare systems rely on the public switched telephone network.

Sir Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what information her Department holds on the number and proportion of (a) railway signals, (b) motorway signs and (c) cash machines that rely on the public switched telephone network.

Julia Lopez: The change to digital landlines will affect many sectors of the economy. Generally, we cannot definitively comment on the number or proportion of any services and devices that rely on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). They are procured from various manufacturers and function differently depending on their make. Many services and devices are also purchased privately by individuals or businesses who have no obligation to supply us with this information. Having said that, we know that an estimated 1.8 million people in the UK currently use telecare services. Of these, roughly 1.3 million use alarms in their own homes and 0.5 million in a range of care homes, supported housing and sheltered living arrangements. There are multiple different telecare manufacturers; the make-up of their devices, including their connectivity solution, depends on the provider. We understand that National Highways do not have any motorway signs that depend on the PSTN, as they own and operate their own switched network. With regards to railway signals, Network Rail has a migration programme for its estate but does not use PSTN telephony for its signals. DSIT convenes the relevant government departments, agencies and stakeholders to a Cross Whitehall meeting on a quarterly basis to encourage all parties to consider the potential impacts of the PSTN migration on their respective sectors.